Student demonstrators in Burnaby were disappointed more of their classmates didn’t join them in a province-wide walkout Wednesday morning to protest the ongoing labour dispute between the provincial government and the B.C. Teachers’ Federation.
“A lot of my friends are going to come later because there’s important classes,” Moscrop Secondary Grade 9 student Evan Elsaesser told the NOW Wednesday morning, “but I think that’s a bit lame considering this is a walkout and you’re supposed to not care about the school when you’re protesting what’s happening. If everyone came, then the teachers wouldn’t have a choice. There wouldn’t be a class running anyway.”
The walkout was organized on Facebook by Surrey Grade 12 student Victoria Barker, who likened the labour dispute between the teachers’ federation and the province to divorcing parents.
Nearly 14,000 people indicated they intended to participate province wide, but less than 20 showed up outside Moscrop.
“I thought there was going to be more people, but it is what it is,” Grade 9 student Owen Simpson said.
He said he walked out because he doesn’t think students should be caught in the middle of the labour dispute.
“I think they can argue together without screwing over us,” he said.
Elsaesser agreed.
“I’m sick and tired of this,” he said. “In Grade 7 I didn’t get to do some of my field trips. The Grade 8s this year aren’t getting their field trips. The Grade 12s in some schools don’t get their graduation, and it’s just not OK.”
Ben Cleroux, a Grade 9 student, said students need to get more informed and involved.
“There’s not enough people here,” he said. “I think in more ways than one, students need to be educated about not only math and science and socials, but also about exactly what is going on with the teacher strike. Kids also need to be more opinionated how exactly they’re missing out in school. We need to be more proactive and realize it’s not fair to us at all.”
Grade 11 student Nikola Skoro, meanwhile, said he was worried about next year.
“I don’t want to be in Grade 12, near the end of the year where my marks are important, and all of a sudden the teachers go on strike and I have to deal with that,” he said. “I feel bad for these Grade 12s, but I don’t want to see a repeat next year.”
