Striking Thoughts

This is the third and possibly final instalment to a series of posts called "Striking Thoughts” which are my reflections during the Alberta Teacher Strike of 2025. (You can find the previous posts here: Stuck in the Middle and Political Miscalculations .) After writing the first two posts I re-read something I wrote five years ago which led me to ponder what might have been. What might the negotiations between the ATA and the UCP government have looked like if only someone had the courage to propose renewal of the relationship?  Five years ago I wrote a letter to then-premier Jason Kenney. In it I made an offer to assist him in rebuilding and resetting the relationship between the Ministry of Education and the ATA. I thought he would read the letter as Mr. Kenney and I do know each other personally and, I think, would have considered each other to be friends.  To be clear, if I were making a proposal to Premier Smith I would write something quite different. As Mr. Kenney and ...

  Political Miscalculations This morning I joined a walkabout through my hometown with a fairly large group of teachers and supporters of education. Some might ask, “What is a conservative doing at a walk in support of teachers?”  On the fifth of October I joined thousands of teachers and supporters at the Alberta Legislature.  Why was this United Conservative Party member present at a rally such as this one in support of the 50,000+ teachers in this province?  It is because everyone involved is making political miscalculations which hurt education in this province.  It is teachers, students, families, communities, and businesses who pay the price. The two sides in the current teacher strike remain at an impasse.  This, of course, has been entirely predictable for some time.  Both the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Teachers’ Association have long nurtured an acrimonious relationship with each other (See: Stuck in the Middle ).  Both feel th...

Stuck in the Middle It's become normal in our polarized world to embed oneself firmly in one side of an issue and to lambaste all who adhere to a different position. So it is with the current teacher strike in Alberta. Teachers, who were once loved and respected, are now perceived as a cohort of left-leaning, indoctrinating, money-loving pansies, who exaggerate the adverse conditions faced in today's classrooms. Not to be out-hated, the MLAs and Premier who form the current government of Alberta, are said to be irresponsible, anti-scholastic, homophobic cheapskates who lie about the numbers and play politics with our children's education. In this environment, misinformation and disinformation appear to be more prevalent than solid facts and fair analysis. Here I am, stuck in the middle. I am a member of both the ATA and the United Conservative Party, and I am often embarrassed at both. Relationships Teachers have long contended that the strong foundation for learning is ...