REFLECTIONS on
      the REVOLUTION
      in ONTARIO

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      Lessons from the Street

      as a Non-school
      Educational Setting

      During Ten Days that
      Shook the Province

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      by David Fletcher
      5 January '98

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      Queen's Park Ralley, Monday, 27 October 1997 Reflections on the Revolution in France, in which he too saw something destructive being done and responded.

      As a public school teacher and union activist I became preoccupied with our anti-Bill 160 job action, the largest educational protest ever by any organization in North America. The period of the protest became, as we teachers like to say, a "teachable moment".

      This paper was started as a journal during the protest action by teachers and others against the Harris government and their Bill 160 during late October and early November 1997. It is intended here to simply record my personal perspective on what happened to me.

      A thorough analysis of the bill and all its issues would be beyond the scope of this paper --and I am sure many people (and the federations) will be doing this. Also beyond the scope of this paper is a discussion about what the strategies should be of the government (reinvesting money saved by amalgamation, direct province-wide negotiations, including teachers in curriculum reform, etc.) and the unions (proposing compromises that we can live with, involving more members in decision-making, being more militant, etc.). No, this paper is more about tactics than strategy.

      What I found interesting was the different models of skillfull resistance that came into play. Two of these models are reflected in the photos shown here. Above left, one can see the elected presidents of the affiliates sitting down to a negotiating situation with the (then) Minister of Education, appointed by the elected Tory government. Radically different from this centralized model are the mass rallies and mass protest actions of the teachers (and others) above right, left, and below.

      One of these big rallies, the Maple Leaf Gardens rally, was on the evening of the 6th of October (see photos above-right, and below) followed by the spectacular candle-light vigil (shown at left, later that evening). By then we all knew that the inevitable protest would be significant. Our chants of "WE WON'T BACK DOWN" from that evening still echo today.


      However, this paper is not simply a diary. Most of it has been written, or at least re-written since the suspension of the work stoppage. Thus there has been some distancing between these events and my present perspective. In the hindsight of the last few weeks I include some analysis of my experiences and opinions in terms of the lessons learned. The perspective is therefore the lessons associated with the protest on the streets as a non-school learning setting.

      To wrap up this preface, two last notes: First, the opinions expressed here have benefited from many discussions I have had with my collegues. However, I am responsible for everything stated here and these opinions are not intended in any way to reflect the position of my collegues, my union, the OSSTF, or my district (D15 Toronto).

      Second, everything beyond the conclusions (appendicies of details, union flyers, newspaper articles, etc.) are in addition to the essay and need not be considered in the same way.

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      ABSTRACT

      This paper documents my experiences during the sea-change which occured during the ten day period when teachers took their anti-160 protest to the streets. It focuses on the street as a classroom --actually three different types of streets and three different types of struggle.

      We won at the level of the local neighbourhood because we galvanized solidarity and won over a majority of the public. We lost at the level of the political street because the majority Tory government was intransigent. We also lost at the level of the commercial street because of organized labour's reticence to take the struggle to that next step of hurting the ruling class financially by a general strike.

      This paper presents the perceptions of one educational worker from the perspective of the rank-and-file striker on the streets. The focus is on the lessons and other curricular issues associated with the strike as a non-school educational experience and the street as a non-school learning setting. Links with conceptions raised in the 1324F class and in the course readings are a key component. The lessons which I learned, about the curriculum associated with political protest, have to do with:

      • the tactics of skillful resistance;
      • models of resistance organization;
      • the dynamics of the various levels of union leadership;
      • the day to day realities of such a protest;
      • the importance of restoring a democratic image to the street;

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