How would you feel if you found out a student had a seizure without anyone around with the correct training to properly aid the student? 

 

Schools throughout Saskatchewan have been experiencing a shortage of Educational Assistants for several years. This has led to the students of those schools being left vulnerable. Teachers are then expected to carry the EA’s responsibilities along with their own which can become exhausting and the responsibilities may exceed their training and knowledge. 

 

Though not everyone is affected by this issue, many people around you likely are. My family is one of the ones affected. My sister has had numerous seizures at school and if not for the EAs who knew exactly what to do, it would have been life-threatening. Along with epilepsy, which was the reason for the seizures, she also has autism and Mowat-Wilson Syndrome so she needs lots of extra help. This help can not be given by just anyone. It needs to be given by someone who knows exactly how to help her with anything she might need such as seizure, changing diaper, eating, special learning, etc. 

 

If my sister didn’t have the additional assistance she has it would affect her whole class. The teacher would have to give a big portion of her attention to her resulting in neglecting the rest of the class at times, my sisters learning would plummet since she doesn’t learn like the other students, and her life would be put at risk because if no one is able to help her while she is having a seizure it become very dangerous for her.

 

We need to acknowledge this problem so we can ensure the safety of every student. This acknowledgement would also allow us to support the teachers who are feeling overwhelmed because of this and promote more inclusive classrooms.

 

At this time there is no standardized EA-to-student ratio in Saskatchewan.

 

Without this systemized balance the safety of the students may become jeopardized. For instance students with complex needs may be asked to stay home, teachers can get overwhelmed, and it could create a demand for EAs and teachers resulting in hiring unqualified staff. 

 

The teacher-to-student ratio is usually about 1 to 30.

 

Teachers are often expected to provide one-on-one care while also managing the rest of the class. You can read about an example of this on a CBC News article where a teacher from Saskatchewan had to quit being a teacher because it was too much for her. She had to go through each day with no EAs, no help, and had to manage her full class all while keeping a close eye on a student who had frequent seizures. 

 

Teachers in Saskatchewan have access to educational programs though there are still gaps within that training. In that teacher education program they learn the basic teaching skills but it does not go over any specific strategies that would be beneficial to those with disabilities. These programs are not properly training the teachers how to respond if a medical emergency were to ever occur. This has all led to statistics from Education Week that states less than 1 in 5 teachers feeling as though they are properly prepared to teach students with learning disabilities such as ADHD or dyslexia.  

 

Statistics Canada says approximately 9.2% of Canadians between the ages of 15 and 23 have learning disabilities. This means that in an average class of 30 students about 3 of them would have learning disabilities. 

 

In the classrooms without EAs or the proper teacher support there is an increased risk of the students’ safety, their inclusion in the classroom declines, and the learning outcomes decrease. 

 

When looking at the legal duties of the teachers and what they are provided with to complete those duties there is a noticeable gap. Teachers are obligated to take action to ensure the students are safe and in the best care while at the school. These teachers are expected of this but do not have mandatory training that would allow them to carry out this obligation the best they could. 

 

Things need to change.

 

We could start with their training. Enforce mandatory training in addition to the school in order to become a teacher. This program would consist of some first aid training for instance how to deal with any medical emergency that may occur in the classroom. It would also be used to give more acknowledgement to the students with learning disabilities and the way they learn. This training could help teachers find new ways of teaching for the students with disabilities that would benefit their learning. If this were to happen teachers’ confidence in their teaching could improve and students may find their classroom to be more welcoming and inclusive.

 

Another way to improve our education system is to increase the EA support schools have. The problem with this is that it is much harder to achieve. To influence others to become Educational Assistants it would be most beneficial to make the job look more desirable. This would entail improving the working conditions and raising the pay. It may also be beneficial to raise the funding the government has for them. Making this job look more appealing is just step one because then you would need to advertise this so people know what they would be signing up for if they became an EA. If we raised the number of EAs, teachers would feel less overwhelmed and the students’ overall safety would increase, putting many minds at ease.

 

One way that would directly benefit the students would be adding assistive technology and other helpful resources that would aid in the learning process of the students. Schools could get things like fidgets or various kinds of seats or something as simple as a band to put on their desk legs so the students can rest their legs on it which should help the students with ADHD to focus better For the students with dyslexia, or any other reasons a student may have difficulty reading, it could benefit them if they invested in a text-to-speech app. These changes may be smaller but could improve the students’ learning tremendously.

 

How to help.

 

Raise awareness

Raising awareness is super helpful in creating a change. You can do this in various ways. Some include sharing a story about this issue, posting on social media, simply talking about it, and other ways. You can raise awareness in any way you see fit.

 

Donate

If you are looking to donate you can donate money to the schools so they can get sensory toys, fidgets, special apps, and other helpful classroom supplies. You can also donate supplies directly to schools or classrooms such as fidgets or sensory toys if that is what you prefer. Neither of these may be up your alley so you might want to donate to organizations like Inclusion Saskatchewan. Inclusions Saskatchewan is a non-profit organization that supports those with intellectual disabilities and advocates for inclusion and equality.

 

Parents getting involved

As a parent it would be helpful if you were to get involved. If you don’t know how to get involved some ways include joining school councils, talk with other parents about what they are noticing and experiencing, contact anyone you think could help like the school division or MLAs, advocate for change, etc. 

 

Speak up

There are many ways you can speak up. You can start by sharing any real experiences and stories you know about which can let those who may not know of what’s going on find out about this and it helps a lot. You can also try to attend board meetings but if you aren’t able to you can try emailing them instead. It would also be beneficial to contact the local school divisions.

 

Pressure provincial government

The way you can pressure the government is to get into contact with the MLAs and ask for things that would help this cause. You could ask for things like the improvement of Educational Assistants working conditions, better support for those with disabilities and complex needs, more funding for schools, etc.

 

Improve EA jobs

If you improve EA jobs it would become more appealing to some which could bring in more staff. With more EAs, schools would be able to run smoother and students would learn better. You can help to improve their jobs by advocating for things such as better pay, improved working conditions, raised funding, as well as anything else you can think of.

 

Accessible Saskatchewan Act

The Accessible Saskatchewan Act is a provincial law that is aimed to create schools in Saskatchewan more inclusive and to remove any barriers. To show your support to this law you can speak up about barriers you may notice, raise awareness for it, support what the law aims to improve, get involved in school decision making, and many other ways.

 

Sign this petition

By signing this petition you are saying you support the change we are trying to make. 

 

Every little bit helps!