Strike aftermath leaves many Alberta teachers isolated, looking for new work

Loneliness, a sense of isolation and that no one has her back — that’s what has Jesica Torres searching for a new teaching position outside of Alberta.

After going on strike to fight for better classroom conditions, she expected to feel support from the public.

“After the strike, I thought: ‘I’m going to walk into my class and see all my students in red.’ But there was only two,” said the Calgary-based Grade 5 teacher, referring to the colour that became a symbol of support for teachers during the weeks-long strike last fall. 

“It feels like we’re all alone,” she said. 

“I’m not feeling like people recognize the challenges we're going through, recognize how hard I'm working for the children of Alberta. It's not a good feeling.”

Torres was one of more than 6,000 teachers, principals and other staff who shared their thoughts with CBC News after we sent a mass email and questionnaire to 23,000 Alberta educators in January.

More than 5,000 said they were feeling pessimistic — that things are unlikely to get better before they get worse in the province's schools — despite the sacrifices during the strike and political reassurances afterward.

Only 126 respondents said they feel hopeful.

And in response to another question, three in 10 said they are trying to leave — actively looking for work outside teaching or outside the province, or considering early retirement.

The provincial government has since promised a seven-per-cent increase to the education budget, but it’s not clear that will be enough to lift morale.

Torres said she’s already filled out her application for certification to teach in British Columbia. She just needs to pay the fee.

“I’m a fourth-generation Albertan,” she said. “A little part of me wants to hold out. [But] when you go home feeling like you fail your students every day, it just becomes morally exhausting.”

In January, CBC News took the rare step of emailing teachers directly because of the unprecedented labour situation and teachers' claims about what kids are facing in Alberta classrooms.

We asked how they’re doing, whether they still support the decision to fight for smaller class sizes, and for their thoughts on the policy of inclusion (placing students with highly complex needs in neighbourhood schools).