Rotating teacher strikes begin in B.C. Monday

Vancouver teachers spent the weekend making their posters to stand in picket lines Monday morning.

Educators are demanding better conditions in the classroom, including smaller class sizes and more support resources.

“I love teaching, but it’s exhausting… stressful,” said Shannon Hawke, who teaches a class of 26 children in Grades 5/6.

READ MORE: Daycare options during the teacher’s strike 

“I worry I’m not doing enough for them and giving them what they need,” she said, adding that nearly a third of her students are special needs.

So far, bargaining attempts with the Public School Employers’ Association have gone nowhere.

WATCH: Confusion about the strike 

This week, teachers around the province will launch rotating strikes beginning Monday when schools in 15 districts will be closed. Those include Vancouver, New Westminster, Vancouver Island North, the Central Coast and Quesnel.

Despite the strike, and a partial lockout that takes effect this week, the two sides will resume negotiations Monday.

Community centres around Vancouver will host special camps for students while schools are closed, but parents like Karen Kohfeld say they’ll be standing with teachers in the picket lines.

Kohfeld and her daughter plan to deliver apples to the teachers as a show of support.

With files from Tanya Beja