Haley Roberts loves working with children.
After coaching and mentoring kids as a swim instructor, the 22-year-old is pursuing a degree in elementary education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
"It's just quite fulfilling," Roberts said Tuesday. "I've always known I wanted to be a teacher."
But Roberts' dream has been interrupted as thousands of educators take part in job action following a prolonged, nasty catfight between the provincial government and their union.
The strike, which is into its second week, has kept some 740,000 students out of classrooms. Finance Minister Nate Horner said last week the province had received a new proposal from the Alberta Teachers' Association.
The government's last offer, overwhelmingly rejected in a vote by teachers late last month, included a 12 per cent pay raise over four years and a promise to hire 3,000 more teachers to address class sizes.
Bargaining talks resumed on Tuesday after weeks of radio silence.
Roberts was to begin a nine-week Grade 4 practicum on Oct. 6 — the very day teachers walked off the job. In her program, students need 10 weeks of practical experience in order to graduate.
There was a lot of "hopeful uncertainty" in the days leading up to the strike, she said.
"There wasn't much communication other than a few emails here and there from our university facilitators," Roberts said.
"We were of the idea that teachers were striking, and it was just a matter of when."
Students aren't able to get their hours elsewhere, Roberts said. In lieu of class time, she and her cohort are expected to meet weekly with practicum facilitators, where they can ask questions and review the basics of running a classroom.
"It's a little bit frustrating, because we've gone four years now talking about all of that stuff," said Roberts. "The practicum is kind of where you get to put all of that into play."
As the two sides duke it out, Jillian Gulli's cellphone is being flooded with texts from classmates looking for intel from her educator parents about how long the strike might last.
"Most of the time, it's like, 'Do you know when we're going to go back? Do you know how long this is going to go for?" the 21-year-old says.
"And I mean, obviously, my parents don't have the answer for that either."
Gulli was also to begin her Grade 6 practicum this month, though that has been put on hold. While she is set to graduate in January, she still needs at least six more weeks of practical experience to get her degree.
Any backup plans haven't been communicated to students, she said.
"We actually didn't hear anything from the U of A at all until like three days before the strike, so that also added to some stress," Gulli said.
A spokesperson for the University of Alberta did not provide a comment on Tuesday. Additionally, a spokesperson for Jennifer Tupper, the university's dean for the faculty of education, said she couldn't comment on the matter.
Union president Jason Schilling has said classrooms have been decimated by what he has called chronic underfunding by the Alberta government. Horner has said the province's last offer was a good one and told the union to come back with a reasonable and fair deal.
Roberts said she noticed a lack of classroom supports during her first practicum and believes the union's demands will make classrooms a better space for children.
Gulli said, despite the challenges, she wants to teach in Alberta.
"My bubble hasn't been burst yet," she said.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Sousa
