The people employed by the Province of British Columbia to teach our children school are on strike.

I suppose you could say the teachers have been on strike for several months now. I’m not sure of the terminology of the job action that has been going on since school started in September, but it did result in no report cards being issued at the end of each term.

I’m not going to utilize this space to talk about the pros or cons of the situation from a political perspective. I’m an acting parent of a school-age child and my concern is for the students and the parents affected by the job action.

I had an unexpected opportunity last week to teach my ward the importance of perspective when she told me that all the students would be walking out of class in support of their teachers last Friday.

I found that I had been neglectful in teaching her the importance of understanding all sides of a situation, so she had heard something and formed an opinion based on one other person’s opinion. I instructed her to find out all sides of the situation before she took any action.

We will be in day three of the current strike when you read this.

I’m happy to see several local businesses stepping up to help out parents keeping their children occupied during the break in regular instruction. Scrappy-Do’s has offered special crafts classes for all age groups and the ski schools are offering special rates for all inclusive ski packages, for instance.

It is challenging for all parents, not just those of young children who require ‘minding.’ Teens with nothing but time on their hands are just as, if not more, difficult to amuse.

It is my understanding that, under the current legislation, it is possible that the teachers will be out of the schools one day per week until this situation is resolved. Please note that I said, ‘it is possible’, not that it will happen!

The possibility does concern me though, as it will be coming increasingly tough to keep our youth entertained during the time when they should be being educated.

It is my sincere hope that a resolution is reached very soon.

Marilyn Berry is publisher of The Valley Echo