On Friday, another salvo was fired in the nasty ongoing battle between the Liberal government and the B.C. Teachers Federation.
In a move that is probably at least as upsetting to as many teachers as parents and students, teachers around the province voted to withdraw from extra-curricular activities.
Exactly what that will look like and the extent to which individual teachers will comply remains an open question. There will at best be a dramatic reduction in coaching of sports teams and involvement in drama, clubs and graduation activities.
Schools will be the poorer for it. The truth is, however, most people don't pay attention to political issues until they are touched in a tangible and personal way. So if your kid isn't the one with special needs, struggling without extra help in the classroom, you may not understand the teachers' position on Bill 22.
But when there's suddenly no top-flight sports competitions or drama club, a much wider range of parents begin to take notice.
It's ironic, of course, that teachers have resorted to withdrawing from volunteer activities to get attention.
For years, the education system has limped along on the goodwill of teachers and their ability to do more with less - much of it unpaid. Now they're standing up and saying no.
One North Vancouver teacher was recently asked, what will schools look like without extracurricular activities.
The more pertinent question, she replied, is what will schools look like without enough special education teachers, or limits on class sizes.
