Underfunded school inclusion model is 'creating a monster,' says retired teacher
Mike Walsh says a student punched him and broke his finger. He blames an under-resourced system
Retired teacher Mike Walsh remembers one of the last years in his extensive teaching career as being marked by trauma and memories of violence.
He recalls students swearing at him and blaring air horns in his ears. He also remembers having to dodge punches from one of his elementary-age students, who ended up breaking his finger in a bout of violence.
"It was the second time in my life that I saw rage," said Walsh, who has spent more than two decades working in classrooms.
There are many problems with the education system in Newfoundland and Labrador, says Walsh, one of the largest being an underfunded and under-resourced inclusive classroom model that is "creating a monster" for students and teachers alike.
"It's like a cauldron boiling over when you put it all in together," said Walsh, who retired in 2021 and now works as a substitute teacher.
"And there has been no progress made at all academically. I think everyone's hurting because of it."
Creating a monster
In early December, teachers in the province voted to accept a collective agreement with the provincial government, which included a two per cent wage increase each year for four years, as well as a one-time $2,000 bonus.
Walsh compares the bonus payment to a "little worm on a hook" or a "bribe" — the provincial government is enticing educators with money, he said, while failing to address the underlying issues that are affecting the quality of the education system.
According to the N.L. government's website, the "Inclusive Education Initiative," which began in March 2009, brings together students with different "learning styles, abilities, experiences and backgrounds."
Walsh says the term "inclusive classroom" is a euphemism for a classroom made up of students with different mental health issues and disabilities, as well as varying skill levels in core subjects like reading and mathematics.
He says he isn't opposed to an inclusive education model — but without proper resources, he added, educators like himself are often left in challenging predicaments with little support.
At one point in his career, he says, he was teaching and taking care of a class of 24 students, six of whom had behavioural issues or disabilities.
"There were assaults, expletives, with you know, the capital F numerous times, students were threatening other students," he said.
"It was pretty crazy. It was a very tough year, for sure."
Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association president Trent Langdon says teachers contact the organization about violent incidents every week, adding a lack of resources isn't allowing teachers or schools to properly help children with behavioural challenges.
He says the union pushed in recent contract talks for class size and composition to be part of their collective agreement.
Although class size and composition isn't included, he says the tentative agreement does state a commitment on the part of the provincial government to "respond within one year with results from an advisory committee," which will guarantee teachers the space to discuss teacher recruitment and retention, as well as the inclusive learning model.
"It's time for this province to take a step up," said Langdon.
On Thursday, the union and the Department of Education announced they are building a task force to address teacher recruitment and retention in the province.
Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell said the department has conversations about the inclusive classroom model on a daily basis.
"The evidence and the research is sound and the model as it is is sound. But delivering it is where the questions and the concerns come in," she said, adding that the task force will work to address the delivery portion, for instance, by ensuring classrooms are properly resourced.
"It's not an issue we've been blind to."
Broken finger
When one of Walsh's students began punching him repeatedly at school, he said, he had to scream down the hallway, pleading with other teachers to "lock down" the school.
A senior employee with the school broke up the fight, and the student ran away. The employee asked Walsh if he was OK. "I showed him my hand and I said, 'He broke my effing finger,'" he said. "The whole year was traumatic."
Walsh says he understands why his colleagues would accept the new collective agreement with the provincial government, and that they deserve a raise to keep up with inflation.
But the current resources aren't enough to make inclusive classrooms work, said Walsh, and pay raises don't make up for that.
"It's not about me, it's about the children," he said. "It's about the future. They're not getting the best education that they could get."
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With files from On The Go