How To Get Your Students Or Child Back On Track After The Alberta Teacher Strike
Teacher Strikes Have Become More Common
The teacher strike across public schools in Alberta has been going on for several weeks now. With recent news of the provincial government stating it will introduce back-to-work legislation at the start of the Fall legislative session it has been indicated that such legislation could be passed today on October 27 if no agreement is reached.
In my own personal public school journey as a child, I did not experience a public education teacher strike. It was always business as usual from K-12 and I had a near perfect attendance record. I loved school and loved to learn. Many children today are the same way.
Now, as a teacher for the past three decades, I have experienced three public teacher strikes. Regardless of why students are out of school, it takes considerable effort and resources to get students back on track in their learning.
The Impact Of Absenteeism In Alberta’s Public Schools
Absenteeism is a growing concern in Alberta’s public schools. There are a myriad of reasons why students do not attend regularly. Lack of positive support at home and anxiety of overcrowded classrooms are some of the top reasons why students miss school. When students are not allowed to attend school due to a teacher strike, this contributes to the loss of learning opportunities.
For the past 10 years, this loss and delay in learning has become a perplexing phenomenon. Children enter the next grade having little to no skills set of the previous grades curricular skills of academic and social development.
This translates to classrooms in which teachers must instruct across multiple grade levels in one room. Compound this reality with growing student absenteeism and the typical classroom teacher is always playing catch-up with their students.
This problem isn’t only in Alberta schools. Recent research on the topic of student absenteeism reveals that up to 20% of students are absent from school each day across Canada. Absenteeism produces negative outcomes for not only the student but their families and wider society.
How To Get Your Students Or Child Back On Track After The Alberta Teacher Strike
It may seem like an overwhelming feat to get your students or child back on track after a several-week teacher strike, in addition to the loss and delay that many students already entered the school year with, but it can be done. With patience, persistence, and the right resources as teachers or parents it is possible to make sure your students or child not only survives but thrives for the remainder of the school year after this strike.
The unit and lesson plans in our K-6 Learning Library can help your K-6 students or child develop confidence and proficiency in both English Language Arts & Literature and Mathematics in a straightforward and engaging way. The best part is that you can edit these resources so that your students or child can focus on what they can do right now and build on it, rather than internalize that they are not performing at grade level.
All of our resources include engaging instructional videos, audio functions, and high-definition images. These resources can be used both digitally and non-digitally at home or at school.
If you want to fully preview all unit and lesson plans, you can do so on our Teachers Pay Teachers page!
If you have any questions about any of our products, then you can email me at hello@educationrocks.ca.
Thank you for reading this blog post on how to get your students back on track after the Alberta teacher strike. I wish you and your child(ren) or students all the best during this interesting time!