Cosgrove Time

EPA (Educational Programming Assistants) are an integral part of supporting students in our Nova Scotia Schools. 🏫Yvette Ewing at Dartmouth High is one of the best I have ever worked with! Caring, professional, dedicated, and thoughtful. ❤️🙏🏼

À l'École 🌊 Mer et Monde 🌎j'ai rencontré une bonne amie —enseignante, Martine Comeau. Les écoles du CSAP ont du mal à recruter des remplaçants et cela épuise leurs enseignants. Il devra avoir plus d'occasions de trouver et de certifier des suppléants. De plus, l'EECD n'a approuvé aucun « programme de certificat » en français 🇫🇷⭐️pour les enseignants qui cherchent à améliorer leur classification. 🤔 🏫

Caught up with Chris, a substitute in the valley, now on a term. He told me, “I’ve wanted to be a teacher 🍎✏️ since Grade 9.” He also told me he took home the same bi-weekly pay bagging groceries and collecting carts as he did full time subbing. We can do better.

Caught up with my amazing former student teacher🍎 Meaghan Donaldson who was subbing at Lockview High. She loves teaching, but observes, “Teachers seem to have no work-life balance, yet it’s completely normalized.” She also pointed out that - based on her bi-weekly substitute pay, her student loan payments have been set - and will take over 100 years to pay in full. Surely, something is wrong here. # itsabouttime

Jill Parlee-Elmore introduced me to the awesome educators 🍎 at Middleton Regional. Many kids need mental health supports, especially since Covid. A resource teacher told me, “Specialist positions get staffed in the city, but we really struggle out here.”

Starr ⭐️ Petipas is the first female Principal of Nova Scotia’s oldest public school, Pictou Academy (est. 1897). Starr was an NSTU teacher and principal before our legislated contract. She is a trail blazer and important leader. 👊🏼🍎✏️🙏🏼

Yas Queens! Thanks Sarah Tutty and Queens Local for hosting the 7 NSTU candidates on Friday night. 🙏🏼❤️ Our union thrives on the energy of rural locals like yours.

Merci de m’avoir acceuilli au Centre Scolaire Étoile de l’Acadie! M. Richard LeBlanc, un ensignant jeune et dédié au bonheur des élèves a pris une pause de l’élevage des fonds pour les finissants pour m’acceuillir. 🇫🇷⭐️Une problème mentionné par le personnel est que le CSAP face une manque de suppléants qualifiés depuis longtemps. C’est le temps de recruter. 🍎🏫

I don't know who Willena King was, but she taught in Cape Breton and retired after 44 years of teaching. I know this because I visited the Cape Breton NSTU local, who proudly display plaques with the names of teachers who retire every year. It may seem like a small gesture, but it says with dignity, that our service as a teacher is honoured here. Thank you, Cape Breton Local (Milton, Kenna, and everyone), for hosting the 7 NSTU presidential candidates. We have all benefitted from Cape Breton's long fight for workers' rights. And to Willena King - I have to respect 44 years of teaching! Mad props! 😍😍😍

Rav Taneja teaches Grade 2 at Hammonds Plains Consolidated, a vibrant school 🏫 with 20 EPAs and 4 Resource teachers. Unfortunately, many students continually lose Resource support because their Resource teachers have to cover short-staffed classrooms. I don’t think the public knows how serious our substitute crises is!⏰

Ran into Tanya Jordan at Colby Elementary School (home of Sid the Kid), one of the many awesome office administrators across the province, who have helped us through these last couple years during Covid - organizing, taking calls, and being the brave first face at every school. Haven’t seen her since Dartmouth High.. 🙏🏼❤️

First time visiting LeMarchant-St.Thomas since graduateing in 1983. Another school over capacity, and it was just built 🏫. Also, another school full of awesome teachers 🍎 , like Caitlin Marsh and Kelly Jordan.

Was great to visit Park West School! 🍎 Tammy and Courtney were awesome to rap with. That school is bursting! 400 more students than it was designed for. Have to invest in more infrastructure. 🏫 Soon!

Found this superstar sub at J..L Ilsley! We miss her at CPA. ❤️ She has been a long term sub for a teacher with 6 classes, which is about 200 report cards to do. All on 1/2 hour of prep a day. 😳 Much love to all the awesome substitutes holding it down!!!💕🍎

Visited John Hugh Gillis High in Antigonish!🍎✏️ Hard working Adam Griffiths helped show me around. During his first year he taught 9 different subjects. 😜Wow! The need for more time is essential, especially for those beginning their careers! # nstu

The bus drivers at Rocky Lake Jr. High wanted to tell me how much happier they were with their current employer Southland, compared to Stock. Their main point - “They care about their workers.” One driver told me they called her every day to see how she was doing while her mother went through palliative care. ❤️🚌

Fairview Junior High has a dedicated staff 🍎 that teaches students from all over the world! They need more time and support, a common theme in all NS schools.

Visited Digby Regional High today. 🙏🏼 🙏🏼🙏🏼 to Celine Leclerc for showing me around. Have a great long weekend! Especially the science teacher at DRHS whose family planned their Easter so she could have 1 day to prep. 🍎

Visited Hants East Rural High school today. The hallways are full of great murals. Really dedicated staff. Very short on time.

We have so many great schools in our province! This week I really enjoyed my visits to Bayview Community School in Mahone Bay, Park View Educational Centre in Bridgewater, and Clayton Park Junior High in Halifax.

During a visit to CEC (Truro’s largest high school) on Friday, I talked to a retired teacher who was in subbing. He said to me, “𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.” Then he added, “𝐈𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭.” He talked about about how he loved being a teacher, how he loved coming to work every day, how lunch in the staff room was a place where lifelong friendships were made, and lessons and new ideas were shared. CEC no longer has a staff room. (It is a classroom now.) And instead, they have small windowless “nodes” (see photos) around the building, but they’re usually empty at lunch because teachers have no time, and usually stay at their desks - and one of the most unifying experiences, eating together, has been lost. I think many teachers can relate to this . . .

Campaign visit to CEC in Truro today! Had many conversations with amazing teachers. Thanks to Renelle, Kelly, and Delcina for showing me around!

I am running for the next NSTU President, but I am not interested in the job. I am interested IN THE WORK. Here is my platform in English and French. https://cosgrovetime.com/staging/9135/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/cosgrove_platform.pdf

It is time to move beyond the Land Acknowledgement and toward action. Reading the LA in our schools daily was important. It is time now to start reading a daily TRCC Call to Action.

#8 We call upon the federal government to eliminate the discrepancy in federal education funding for First Nations children being educated on reserves and those First Nations children being educated off reserves.https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/indigenous-people/aboriginal-peoples-documents/calls_to_action_english2.pdf

Sounds words to consider.

Teachers vote on May 25th for a new NSTU President. Hope to have your support!