Whenever we make decisions, we bring our preconceptions, our biases, our experiences. The idea of a lens helps to make the aspects we consider more salient. The BCTF has recently promoted several lenses including social justice, aboriginal and a professional development lens. The metaphor of a lens is helpful because it is more fluid and adaptable than a rule, yet still directly impacts what you see and do.
To help you understand my decision making as a Member at Large on the BCTF, I have provided some additional details here.
The complexity of decision making is the intersection of our various lenses.
Aboriginal Lens - Education for Reconciliation (link to BCTF Resource)
We need to activate the lens as we discuss our efforts for Truth and Reconciliation. As a non indigenous person, I struggle with making the right decisions. As a teachers, I worked to meaningful infuse content and ways of knowing. Many aspects of the lens are not difficult to integrate when we make the effort. I have continued to grow in my understanding of the challenges of both our indigenous students and teachers. I will continue to do so and have made a point of expanding and making territory acknowledgements as part of meetings I chair.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (link to BCTF Resource)
I fully support our statement of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Because I think extensively on decisions I make, I examine them from multiple perspectives and lenses. I accept that men have in society and the BCTF membership have held many privileges. I see additional considerations that the decline of men in teaching (especially in elementary) is a result of
1. Discrimination and harassment must not be ignored and must be challenged and rectified.
2. Not all discrimination is deliberate or visible. Inadvertent, hidden, and systemic discrimination must be identified and addressed.
(The ongoing decline of men in teaching highlights systemic influences. To some there is no discrimination against men because 'they' hold privilege. Privilege has many aspects. Consider the discrimination that happens with staff discussions where women colleagues can say things that are sexist without repercussion. Consider the constant vigilance required to prevent any career ending allegation of inappropriate contact with a student - when women can hug and comfort students with much lower potential consequences.
The data showing a constant decline of men in teaching is a clear indicator that something needs to change. Our goal should be to rebuild the diversity of men in teaching to the level of society.)
I am saying that we need to examine the inadvertent, hidden and systemic discrimination needs to be discussed with as much validity as any other topic.
Social Justice Lens (link to BCTF Resource)
I believe that the lens is very useful. If we consider the Focus on Equity, that is not defined on equity for some. Solidarity is standing together as one union, not as a union of separate identities.
Recommendation 6 That By-law 5.1 be amended to add the following: (g) To ensure a gender balance representative of the membership as a whole, at least five of the seven nondesignated Member-at-Large positions be held by members who self-identify as women.
This recommendation sets up counter arguments to
Access - Open and Available to all - The recommendation sets positions not open to all. This makes it possible to disqualify candidacy on being male
Agency - Capacity to effect change - If the recommendation passes, it is acceptable to have 0 men represented as a Member at Large
Solidarity Action - collectively working for change - It is hard to stand in solidarity if you are not invited
participatory democracy - when you can become disqualified during an election because you identify as man, you are blocked from participating. Equally when members right to vote is curtailed - if 3 men run for 3 positions and get the highest votes of all candidates, only the top two can be elected. This denies the membership the right to vote
Professional Development Lens- Diverse, Collaborative, Career Long, Funded and Supported (link to BCTF poster)
We need to examine how decisions will impact our teaching profession.
Fiscal Responsibility doesn't have an information graphic made yet; however, it would likely have the following aspects
- Implied Costs / Benefits
- Relative priority
- Direct Impact to members
- Indirect Impact to members
I hope to do more work on making this into an info graphic.
I agree we want to provide as many options, resources, workshops
to our members; however, every action taken by our organization
has financial implications.
