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Missed my Sunday posting time slot. Oh well.

Here's one that gets me upset and a little stumped. Do you know that the Toronto Support Worker staff for public schools are on strike?? Basically, "Support Worker" is a very political correct name for janitors, lunch room monitors, cooks (if they have a cafe), and cleaners. They're now demanding the normal wage increase as well as job security.

The problem with this country is that people can find jobs very easily. Look at Hong Kong, which has like 8-9 million people crammed into a city the size of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). Hardly anybody goes on strike there, because the second you threatened to not work because of wage dispute, they'll can your ass and hire someone else who's more than grateful for making what you earn. It's a very cutthroat practice to be sure, but would you rather be only getting a 2% raise in 3 years, or be completely out of a job??

Right. I totally understand that whatever the raise increase over however amount of years may be too little. Of course the ideal situation is that yearly raises should not only cover for inflation, but actually be a raise. But what if there really isn't enough taxpayer's dollars to give you that raise? Janitors and cleaners doesn't require a university degree. You don't major in toilet plunging or permanent marker removal, nor do they have Garbage disposal 101. It isn't a very skilled job, so when the slice of the taxpayer's pie is divied, you just can't demand to get the lion's share. That's just the way it is. Would I be too mean to suggest that janitors and lunchroom monitors are the same ones who probably skipped a lot of school in their time, and now doesn't have the necessary skills to be anything but? Yes, it's too mean, but I'm still suggesting that.

Now, I don't really want to talk about the right to strike, I'm split between that. What I want to talk about actually, is the effect the strike has had on the kids. I know, the cliche is "Kids come first." Everyone union rep. and school board arbiter chants the same tired line. But are they really putting kids first? I don't think so.

Remember, it's the janitors and other cleaners that are on strike now. Which means garbage, washrooms, and the classroom in general are filthy. The garbage is overflowing, the toilets are dingy and probably smelly. The whole school could be a harzardous area to be in for both teachers and the students. Or so they would like us to believe.

You know, we kids are really spoiled. Maybe because it's everyone saying that school should be the primary focus of our life. We must concentrate and focus in our studies. Let nothing detract us from our scholarly pursuits. "Cow poo!" I say. What happened to learning to take care of ourselves? What happened to pitching in when others need a hand? Have we forgotten that manners and morals are just as important as good grades?

I think we have. Look, it's just garbage. I know it's not exactly a bed of roses, but it's only refuse. It's what we produce every single day. It's not like it's weapon grade plutonium for crying out loud. Instead of closing the schools for health risks, get the students involved and start mass cleaning the classrooms and hallways. Get the students to take out the trash, wash the floors, wipe the tables, unclog and flush the toilets. If you got enough people pitching in (and there are an average of 1000 high school students in every school), then maybe they'll appreciate the institution more, and actually care about its facilities in the future. After I started cleaning my own bathroom, I was more careful not to get it dirty. I took pride in the loo being spotless. I loved the look of a shiny sink basin. They will too, once they learn to appreciate hard work.

The kids moan about the strike and how it's affecting their education. Well, take charge then. Take the school back into your hands. Help out a little. The garbage you help clear is made by you and your friends. Do something, don't just whine like a baby who's lost its soother. If you wanted to be seen as a grown up earlier, then be an adult, and take charge of your life and surroundings.

The other alternatives is for you to be sent home with homework, with no guidance or tutorage. Worse yet, you may risk throwing your education away. I'm not the one to talk, since I've been such a bad student. But I'm old enough to see the errors of my ways. I might not regret it, (my life's been too fun and interesting to harbor feelings of regret) but I do see that I could have been wiser.

So I say to you, stand up for your right to education. Stand up and say "That's it, I will not always depend on other people, because I have the capabilities to do things for myself." Don't let the government and selfish people control your destiny. Do it for yourself.

....I thought having the kids pitch in to help clean up the schools like everyday was a no brainer. But I haven't heard or read about this as an option. posted by losir at 12:50 AM