While I fully and completely support the need for change in the school situation, as a parent of a middle school-age child, I too hear the student side of life.
We talk as adults about the “level playing fields” and that the schools are to be fair to all students and all their needs. There seems to be a bit of a “gap”, as some field trips that are out of the school hours are going ahead and some are not. Now listening to what my child and his friends are saying, I am hearing some very mature and adult thinking on this.
Is it fair that the school has promoted in their view what you get at the end of your term there? For this school, it is an overnight camping and exploration trip. Due to job action, this has been cancelled.
It seems though that “level playing field” does not apply, as the band trip still goes ahead. Is that fair? Honestly, as a student not in band, they are feeling it is not. This is to the students what us adults view as the haves and the have nots.
I honestly feel that if one group’s field trips in the out-of-school hours are not a go, then they all should be not a go. That is like saying to the students, if you’re in the band you matter more than the rest, you’re put on the higher level. Let’s be honest, this job action is having an effect on the students, and they are not liking what they are seeing.
Lynn Gibb
Penticton