The President of the NLTA is calling for a “complete overhaul” of how resources are allocated in the school system.
Trent Langdon says education has one of the highest budget lines across the province but is not getting the attention it needs.
He shares that he’s been visiting schools across the province and discovering firsthand that teachers are frustrated with class sizes and composition, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
While those issues loom large, aggression and violence toward teachers have become a growing concern.
He says he’s had conversations with teachers who have ended up in hospital rooms, facing emotional and physical scarring.
He says violence towards teachers is happening “on the regular” and the school system as a whole is “under immense fire right now.”
He says right now people are choosing to avoid the teaching profession due to a variety of stressors associated with the job. Reigniting their passion, and launching strong recruitment plans across the province, is key, according to Langdon.
He believes we’re not seeing the investment in our provincial education system, adding that if we get education right, other issues will fall into place.