Strike! Strike! Strike!

So our Christchurch colleagues have voted to strike on the 19th of February next year. All my blogosphere colleagues on the right – your David Farrars, your Whaleoils and your John Hartevelts – will undoubtedly crack the ‘bloody union’ whip, so let me get one thing clear…

Under no circumstances do teachers strike without having exhausted ALL OTHER OPTIONS.

To our profession – yes, you heard me, profession – the education of children is our paramount reason for being. At no time do we wish to disrupt this process. This can be seen every winter when teachers all over New Zealand (and the world for that matter) turn up to work despite being far too sick. What we do before calling in sick is think of all the things that need to be begun, followed up on, or tidied up. Sometimes it is a lot easier to shove some ibuprofen down our throats and head in that possibly lose a day and the flow of your teaching plan.

But that’s not really my point. This is my point: Christchurch teachers have had enough. I’m not sure about you but if I had someone waltz in to my city and announce a raft of closures and mergers before waltzing back out again and taking no questions, I’d be pretty dissatisfied.

Oh, but there is a consultation process. Yes, I suppose there is. Waltz back in to town, visit all the schools and then announce that you are ‘pleased’ with the consultation process. This despite the fact that those parents and teachers who turned out to your public meetings still have absolutely no idea what you are on about. It seems our current education minister speaks in a language only she understands. The rest of us need those massive ear pieces and professional UN translators to decipher what she is saying.

Hekia Parata is the single most frightening and appalling piece of political muppetry every to be foisted on any public service – but that’s just my opinion. If her (and by her I mean the National Party / ACT edu-business cronies that are running the show – she’s just the salesperson) policies are allowed to become embedded in our education system then the future of our nation will be in the in the dust-bowl of the Australian outback.

Or we will just end up with a nation of people who’ve spent their entire schooling learning how to pass tests and all they will be really qualified for is work in the service industry or shovelling cow muck from the farms of National list MPs and their families.

Or… New Zealanders might realise how ridiculous National policy is and vote them out at the next election.

Dreams are free my friends.

Mr B.