The following are multi-paragraph compositions done for this week's assignment on writing persuasively. NOTE: The teacher wrote an opposing view to the majority in each class for practice and as a demonstration of persuasion. Afternoon class.

Morning Class

School should be an essential service, and no strikes should be allowed. Or the opposite. (100-150)

Write a paragraph to persuade me of your opinion. Make sure to mention at least one opposing reason to your opinion.

Teachers Should Have the Right to Strike

     Teachers have had the right to strike for only a short time, but in that time have been able to improve educational conditions for their students, so, as a teacher, I have to say that I support that right. Strikes are difficult for everybody, and particularly when it applies to education. Parents are inconvenienced by them, and students lose valuable time in the classroom. The issues, however, most often concern the delivery of quality education to the public. Before teachers had a strong collective agreement and the right to strike, administration could decide on many issues on a school by school basis. Many decisions that affect teachers and their students could be made that differed from district to district.

     A good example of the power of the threat of a strike is the issue of reducing class sizes in primary grades. Researchers find that students who begin school in smaller classes tend to have stronger and better results throughout their school careers. This issue concerns how many students work together in the same classroom at one time. It is evident to many of you, I’m sure, that children receive more personal attention in the present, smaller class, setting. This was a major issue in the last teacher contract. If teachers had not had the ultimate weapon—withdrawal of their services across the whole province—I do not believe that the government would have accepted smaller class sizes. In the end, no strike happened, but the threat of a strike kept negotiators focussed on finding a solution.

    This is just one example of how teachers’ right to strike has enhanced the education of our children. Giving a large number of children a head start on school success by having them in smaller groups was something unachievable in the former fragmented system. Without a persuasive weapon like calling a province-wide strike, I think teachers would not have been able to win this important, educationally sound concession, so that’s one reason why I support their right to strike.

Broken into three paragraphs for ease of reading (not an essay, really either) Total word count is 327.

Afternoon Class

Transit should be an essential service and the drivers should not be allowed to strike. Or, the opposite.

Write a paragraph to persuade me of your opinion. Make sure to mention at least one opposing reason to your opinion. (100 to 150)

Transit Workers Should Have the Right to Strike

     Transit should not be considered an essential service, although strikes in this sector are indeed difficult for many of the public. As recent days have amply demonstrated, many people have successfully adapted to the lack of transit services.

     The life of a bus driver is not an easy one, and includes split schedules, unruly passengers, and demanding supervisors. Schedules must be followed, no matter the weather or traffic conditions. Such stressful working conditions make it necessary for drivers to have the right to strike. Many elements of a driver’s working life are outside of his or her control, so drivers need to have some way to put pressure on the management, and a strike is an effective way to apply that pressure.

     Recent news makes it clear that the present strike is as much about contracting out as it is about money. As a unionized teacher myself, the idea of someone taking my work and giving it to a person less highly qualified or who is running a business for profit (instead of as a public service) is clearly wrong. The drivers fought contracting out before, in 1984 (in a three month strike), and will not easily give up the fight this time. Oftentimes, management and the media will point to salary demands as a key reason for a strike. In my experience, however, the biggest issues in strikes are more often about personal control and autonomy while performing one’s job. Taking away the transit drivers right to strike would lead to a decrease of that feeling of control and would not serve the public’s interest.

    What I would like to see is happy drivers taking good care of riders while at the same time feeling secure of their income and employment. A few weeks of disruption to transit services is a small price to pay for a happier work force in the long run.

315 words: Not written as an essay, but broken into shorter paragraphs for ease of reading.

 

 

 

 

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