PORT HAWKESBURY: It’s been a busy school year for everyone involved with the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) and that’s especially true of the woman leading the group, President Liette Doucet.
On May 16, Doucet toured a number of schools in Inverness County. After her travels, she made time for local media in the foyer of SAERC. The Port Hawkesbury-based school was her final stop of the day.
“I’m happy I was able to speak with teachers and members,” Doucet said. “I wasn’t able to do much of that this year, so this was my first tour of the year.
“I visited four schools and the NSCC campus, and the schools are fantastic. They are well-kept up, the students are engaged, and the teachers seem very happy – they’re working very hard as usual, and they’re getting a lot done.”
One of the things that made the school year hectic, without question, was the contract negotiations between the NSTU and the provincial government. That interaction eventually led to Bill 75, a piece of legislature that was passed last February. The bill imposed a new contract on the teachers.
“We have an imposed contract right now, and teachers are not happy about that, but teachers are doing their jobs as they have been all year,” she said.
“They’re working with their students and ensuring their students are successful. It’s still work under the shadow of an imposed contract, which is something we never wanted, but we have to move along and make sure the kids learn as they should.”
The president noted that the union is currently challenging Bill 75 in court and, as it’s an ongoing legal case, there isn’t much she can say about it.
Doucet said the kids in the local classrooms seemed to be enjoying their lessons. She visited Dalbrae Academy, Whycocomagh Education Centre, Tamarac Education Centre, and SAERC. With that, she was also at the NSCC Strait Area Campus.
At Dalbrae, she was treated to students singing in Gaelic, which was new for her. Doucet said it was also nice to see students have three options for language teaching in Whycocomagh, as French, Gaelic, and Mí’kmaw are all offered.
“You could hear the students speaking different languages and that was a great opportunity for them,” she said. “I couldn’t understand them, but it was great to hear.”
She was also impressed with Dalbrae’s skills trade program.
“I got to see students working in the automotive section there, and I think it’s a fantastic program,” she said. “It’s something we should look at for all our schools. I think it gives students opportunities to see options for the future and decide what they want to do with their lives.”
The workload of local educators is something she’s concerned with.
“I spoke to a lot of specialists teachers [today], guidance councillors, resource teachers and learning center teachers, and they have concerns about case loads, especially guidance councillors because many of them are moving from one school to another,” she said.
“We really need to look at hiring more guidance councillors and making sure there’s one in every building. It’s a big issue, because students don’t have problems just two days a week.”
With a provincial election looming, Doucet said she doubts many teachers will be especially kind to Stephen McNeil’s Liberals, but she said she wouldn’t think of telling anyone to vote one way or another. She is aware of teachers emerging as candidates in various ridings, and she said that might be one positive thing out of Bill 75.
“I would ask teachers to be informed and speak to the candidates and vote for whoever will do the best job for education in Nova Scotia,” she added.