Jon Ferry skewers the B.C. Teachers Federation - It's time to BAN HOLLYWOOD MOVIES and restore the stolen hours of classroom instruction

Jon Ferry had a very important column yesterday in THE PROVINCE. Ferry skewered the $$$ demands and bargaining tactics of the B.C. Teachers Federation (aka BCTF). Since it is a cliche on the Internet to describe an article as a "Must Read", I'll only say that this column be read and understood by those who, in good faith, pay their taxes to fund Public Education in British Columbia.

The whole METRO VIEW with Jon Ferry column (January 23, 2012) on BCTF demands is quite short. It will only take you five minutes to read and ponder it.

There are many comments published under the story. Here is a sample:
I had clipped and saved an earlier piece written by Mr. Ferry. "B.C.'s Education System Broken, Says Expert in Scathing Book" [The Province Oct. 21, 2011]. He was reviewing a book entitled WORLDS APART: B.C. Schools, Politics, and Labour Relations, Before and After 1972 . It was carefully researched and written by University of Victoria professor Thomas Fleming. He uses a globe girdling sub-title, but it sounds like a rather ballsy book. I wonder if the Public Libraries hereabouts will touch it?? Jon Ferry quotes Fleming's opinion that the Public System is totally dysfunctional and of the stakeholders, "All are bureaucratic in nature, anti-visionary and unimaginative in outlook, prescriptive in behaviour, non-cooperative in manner, anti-technological in practice, and committed to the status quo."

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Dysfunctional the public system certainly is. Stupid the Teachers and their labour leaders are not. Cowardly the politicians have always been. The days, weeks and months of classroom instruction in B.C. are now so truncated that they scarcely span six months. No two high schools in the Lower Mainland offer the same instruction or even use the same curriculum materials. And worst of all, the majority of High School teachers, including Math, Chemistry and even Gym teachers, burn up countless hours each year showing Hollywood movies. I have spoken to many, many kids who have never watched a Disney film at home, but can list 6-8 Disney movies they've watched at school.

Those parents who have proposed shaking out the dead wood in the public system need only demand that Movies be banned in B.C. Public Schools. That would drive out a thousand or more "teachers" who have been faking it. You can read that OCT. 21 METRO VIEW article here. You can also find Prof. Fleming's book WORLDS APART here.