“I Have Seen Many Unpleasant Changes in My 20+ Years.”

I have seen many unpleasant changes in my 20+ years as an elementary grade teacher. Class sizes have gotten bigger and bigger, while the classroom’s themselves have stayed the same size, making for a cramped and unpleasant working environment.

As class sizes have grown, workload has too, as we have more students in each class who need special attention. But, because there are not enough support staff to help with those students who need that extra support the extra work is left to the teachers - leaving little time for them to simply address the already overwhelming and tight curriculum expectations.

New initiatives are pushed onto teachers without providing extra time to learn and implement them, which was made worse when the last day of school, used to meet and discuss plans for the next year, was cut. Taking away the last day of the school year as a day to meet and discuss plans for the next year is unfair. This last day is crucial to a teacher's planning and organizing of the classroom for the next school year.

– Toronto Teacher