It Takes A Village

 You know that saying "It takes a village"? Once we send our children, our most precious gift, to school we are handing them to a village saying please help us. And they help us without question. Every single time. So why do we treat our villagers as poorly as we do?

  Before your little sweetheart gets to their "hut" someone has cleaned it. Sanitized it. Made sure no germs were there to harm them or make them sick. These same people washed down door knobs and handles, refilled soap dispensers and paper towel holders. All to keep Jack & Jill healthy to learn. Have we really forgotten the integral role these workers played during the pandemic to keep our kids safe and in school? Apparently, we did.

  Not all our angels can fly on their own yet. Some need extra love and care to help them live their best lives. They get someone just for themselves. A helper. A guide. A cuddler. A kind, dedicated person who fights for them in situations where they cannot fight for themselves. These villagers are extra special. All the other students and teachers would suffer without them. Without these special workers, some parents would never feel safe sending their children off to school. What a blessing they are!

  While the village is swirling with activity, and a little bit of chaos, someone is off on the side alone keeping everything working smoothly. If this was a normal admin job it wouldn't be that challenging. But that normal job doesn't include checking out cuts and scrapes and handing out ice packs. Or providing a tissue and a hug when the day gets too overwhelming for a six-year-old. Not to mention finding a safe place to store a tooth that fell out in class or divorced parents arguing in your small workspace over whose turn it is to volunteer for a field trip. In what other workplace is that normal?

  Yet here we are, AGAIN, fighting with these workers because they want to earn a living and be respected by the people who run this province. The average salary for an educational assistant in Ontario is $40850.00, an administrator $47005.00, and a custodian $48016. Only the longest serving in any of these professions pass the $50K mark. Look at those numbers. Are you okay with them? Would you be okay with making that sum?

  We have to stop paying those workers who take care of the most vulnerable in society unlivable wages. We must start treating them as the valuable resources they are and not only compensate them for it but respect them as well. Teachers get all the accolades and while deserving, they could not do their job without these support workers. It's time the government understood this and treated them as such.

  Our village is broken. They are asking for our help. They always have our backs and this time we need to have theirs!

  Ang