(The following represents my own thoughts and perspectives that are not to be taken out of context. 6 minute read.)

I have worked for Selkirk College as an Instructor since 2018. I joined the ranks of Post Secondary workers after having worked almost 10 years in the tremendously impoverished public school system – a school system that I’d seen dwindle in resources for the full span of my childrens’ K -12 experiences (2000-2019).

The public school I’d been working in directly prior had very little money. Children and youth worked with outdated (or photocopied) textbooks. Teachers fought and fundraised for updated equipment for their classrooms, adding ‘grant writer’ to their resumes. Administrations faced tough financial decisions every day and did not have funds to allocate to things like ergonomic desks for teachers – I can remember one teacher would balance her laptop on top of a pile of board games in order to alleviate the pain she was experiencing from sitting (while waiting for joint replacement surgery). Joining the College was like walking into a different kind of education world; one in which I was given an opportunity to do an ergonomic assessment (!) in my(!) office. The outcome of which was an adjustable chair and desk that support my health as a worker. Students had access to a functioning library with computers and books. There was specialized equipment for different programs. It really was a different world.

Post Secondary students were (and are) in courses because they want to be there – the student body is motivated and deeply passionate about their learning. Among them are International students who want to become Canadian citizens, coming in to Canada through the Post Secondary system. My experience was (and is) that these folks bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from their home countries, and have a world of integrity and dedication about their new home, about their learning here. All students – domestic and international – build the capacity of our communities. Grads go out to build and be part of every aspect of our rural life – from health care to bus driving.

Like anyone working through those years, I was part of the pivot to full-time teaching online during COVID. An added challenge for me was that I was also learning towards my Masters in Learning and Technology at Royal Roads. We showed our thinking in the degree program through maintaining blogs in the Royal Roads webspace, blogs that persist (which is lovely for me as a former student). I remember a post from that time that was relevant then – but is even more relevant now: The Plate Spinner on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Like Erich Brenn, we frantically spun all the plates – teaching, learning, raising families, caregiving, working. . . and we continue to in 2025. All this in a context that has gotten increasingly (rather than less) complex: world event-wise (with the advent of wars), politically (locally and internationally), and in countless other ways. Through this, Post Secondary has returned to the classroom/campus AND we’ve continued to spin the plates of blended, online, and hyflex delivery of courses.

A little over a year ago, the legs were cut out from under Post Secondary Institutions (PSIs) in Canada. The Federal Government changed the number of and ways that International students can come into the country. The reasoning from their side made a lot of sense – stop the userous diploma and degree mills that had popped up to take advantage of International students and their tuition. They absolutely did force some of the bad actor schools to close, but in doing so this way have hobbled the rest of the system indiscriminately. Across the entire country.

Which brings me to now. There is a review being done of Post Secondary in BC in light of the loss of International Students. Our union was given a questionnaire as a way to give feedback to the process last week with the deadline of the 10th of December. The nature of many of the questions was disturbing to me – there were assumptions baked in to the questions that implied that PSIs are competitive (they’re exceptionally collaborative), that there will be consolidation of institutions (which would be to the direct detriment of rural communities), and that somehow genAI will become a viable teaching tool (it won’t – I could write another 5,000 words about the problems with that, particularly while a population of students does not yet use it ethically in their assignment submissions). The first question asked us to justify the relevance of Post Secondary education! While filling it out I could not help but think that this was not a good-faith consultation measure and that many decisions about what the Provincial government will do are already determined.

Today I learned that our President, Maggie Matear, has an article published in Maclean’s Magazine which you can find here: International Student Caps Are Decimating Canadian Colleges: The cuts triggered campus closures, layoffs and a blow to rural B.C.’s ability to train and keep its own workforce. I encourage you to read it. I agree with her perspectives. She is speaking from a place of knowledge of how things are going in other PSIs across Canada. She is part of an administration that is doing the best with what they have in the worst of circumstances. I would add my own front-line perspective of experiencing what has become a very, very difficult work environment. I hear this from colleagues around the province that the precarity of our jobs, the increasing workload due to layoffs, the grief of losing colleagues, the move towards protectionism and siloing are not reflective of what we have had and what we want in PSIs. We are there for students – they are our goal and our reason for being. Students improve their own lives, health and life satisfaction outcomes, and build our communities through post secondary education.

We, at Selkirk, are facing more layoffs in the spring. Why should you care? Rural communities will be less likely to host first aid training, adding barriers and expense, with workers travelling to be certified and re-certified. Fewer opportunities under the workplace training umbrella means fewer skilled workers. Large numbers of students who travel away from their communities for education do not return – again, fewer and fewer skilled workers (think of nurses, firefighters, teachers, custodians, tradespeople, foresters, support workers) will raise their families in rural areas. Fewer families mean fewer schools, meaning fewer jobs, further shrinking communities – and the cycle continues to spiral down into ghost towns. Anyone who has travelled through this region has seen and heard of the many ghost towns here. . .they are not theoretical. We can stand on the ground of Zincton, Beaton, Sandon, and others, with knowledge that once they were home to thousands and now are a sign on the side of the highway.

I worked in the public, K-12 system while good people did increasingly more with less and less. There are so many things that happened then that are happening now. We’re all working to keep more and more plates in the air with fewer resources. At what point do they all fall?