hire
      about
      forty
      teachers.
      That’s
      near-
     
     
      ly
      a
      10-1
      ratio
      of
      applicants
      to
      posi-
     
     
      tions.
      That
      gives
      the
      Eastern
      and
     
     
      Western
      boards
      the
      luxury
      of
      picking
     
     
      and
      choosing
      their
      teachers,
      which
     
     
      means
      that
      the
      average
      teacher
      hired
     
     
      on
      PEI
      is
      in
      his
      or
      her
      late
      twenties
     
     
      and
      has
      racked
      up
      a
      fair
      amount
      of
     
     
      experience.
     
    

    
     
      This
      is
      due
      partially
      to
      an
     
     
      early
      retirement
      package
      offered
      to
     
     
      teachers
      in
      1999
      (which
      opened
      the
     
     
      door
      to
      eighty
      new
      hirings,
      twice
      the
     
     
      number
      of
      last
      year)
      and
      partially
      to
      a
     
     
      decline
      in
      the
      number
      of
      students
      in
     
     
      schools.
      In
      the
      past
      six
      years,
      the
     
     
      East’s
      student
      population
      has
      dropped
     
     
      by
      over
      700
      students,
      a
      significant
     
     
      decrease
      for
      a
      board
      that
      size.
     
    

    
     
      “And
      that
      trend
      will
      contin-
     
     
      ue,”
      says
      Hood.
     
    

    
     
      But
      while
      it’s
      all
      but
      certain
     
     
      that
      Island
      teachers
      will
      have
      to
      spend
     
     
      some
      time
      away
      in
      order
      to
      find
      a
      job,
     
     
      there
      is
      a
      real
      advantage
      to
      coming
     
     
      from
      the
      Maritimes.
      Most
      of
      the
     
     
      Maritime
      teacher
      colleges
      now
      offer
     
     
      two
      year
      programs,
      whereas
      most
     
     
      B.Ed.
      programs
      across
      the
      country
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
      i
     
    
   
   
    
     
      i
      as
      :
      .
      a
     
     
      RESTAURANT
      AND
      PUB
     
    
   
   
    
     
      still
      single
      calendar
      year
      programs.
      As
     
     
      one
      Toronto
      Board
      rep
      put
      it,
      an
      Island
     
     
      student
      might
      be
      competing
      with
      a
     
     
      University
      of
      Toronto
      grad
      who
      has
      a
     
     
      three
      year
      undergraduate
      education
     
     
      and
      a
      one
      year
      B.Ed.
      Based
      on
     
     
      Ontario’s
      pay
      grid
      system,
      those
      two
     
     
      extra
      years
      of
      education
      will
      automat-
     
     
      ically
      put
      you
      one
      level
      higher
      in
      the
     
     
      pay
      grid,
      earning
      you
      as
      much
      as
      one
     
     
      thousand
      dollars
      a
      year
      more
      than
      the
     
     
      Ontario
      grad.
     
    

    
     
      Of
      course
      there
      are
      a
      slew
      of
     
     
      problems.
      Every
      night
      one
      can
      flip
      on
     
     
      the
      news
      and
      hear
      about
      more
      teacher
     
     
      strife
      in
      places
      like
      B.C.,
      Alberta,
      and
     
     
      Ontario.
      Disputes
      over
      pay,
      workload,
     
     
      teacher
      evaluations,
      mandated
      extra-
     
     
      curricular
      supervision,
      class
      size,
      prep
     
     
      time,
      and
      funding
      are
      all
      frustrations
     
     
      that
      most
      teachers
      have
      to
      contend
     
     
      with
      along
      with
      the
      territorial
     
     
      headaches
      of
      high
      needs
      students
      in
     
     
      the
      classroom
      and
      angry
      parents
      in
      the
     
     
      community.
      But
      if
      one
      feels
      the
      call-
     
     
      ing,
      the
      deep-seated
      desire
      to
      teach,
     
     
      this
      is
      a
      golden
      era
      of
      opportunity,
      so
     
     
      long
      as
      one
      is
      willing
      to
      go
      where
      the
     
     
      jobs
      are.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Come
      Join
      Us
      at
      The
      Smuggler’s
      Jug
      Pub
      for...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      STEAK
      &
      STEIN
      MONDAYS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      T-Bone
      steak
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      for
      $8.99.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TRAVELLERS’
      TUESDAYS
     
     
      Sere
      ciaieia:
      finger
      foods.
     
     
      Come
      and
      meet
      other
      travellers!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WING
      NIGHT
      WEDNESDAYS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Just
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      PEI
     
     
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      STUDENT
      NIGHT
     
     
      THURSDAYS
     
    

    
     
      Flat
      bread
      pizzas
      1/2
      price
     
     
      Peta
      cies
      cal
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FANTASTIC
      FRIDAYS
     
     
      Join
      us
      at
      8:00pm
      for
      trivia
      with
     
     
      iD
      yereue
      (©ia-tol)
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      -\(cige(ei-
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      See
      you
      at
      The
      Jug!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Freeze
      This
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Stephan
      MacLEOD
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Students
      preparing
      for
      the
      night
      ahead.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      On
      Tuesday,
      February
      5,
      sev-
     
     
      enteen
      UPEI
      students
      froze
      their
      asses
     
     
      off
      overnight
      outside
      the
      cafeteria
      to
     
     
      freeze
      tuition.
      Creating
      a
      temporary
     
     
      mini-city
      in
      the
      snow,
      tents
      surround-
     
     
      ed
      by
      walls
      of
      snow
      were
      set
      up
      to
     
     
      house
      the
      brave
      demonstrators,
      while
     
     
      a
      campfire
      supplied
      some
      heat
      and
     
     
      melted
      a
      few
      boots.
     
    

    
     
      VP
      of
      Campaigns
      and
     
     
      Communications
      Caolan
      Moore
      had
      a
     
     
      stash
      of
      krazy
      karpets
      in
      his
      tent
      for
     
     
      campers
      to
      use
      on
      the
      hill
      behind
      the
     
     
      cafeteria.
      Entertainment
      was
      also
      pro-
     
     
      vided
      by
      Science
      Rep.
      Bobby
      Best,
     
     
      who
      played
      guitar
      for
      a
      few
      minutes
      at
     
     
      a
      time,
      when
      his
      fingers
      weren’t
     
     
      frozen.
     
    

    
     
      Throughout
      the
      night,
      about
     
     
      fifty
      people
      stopped
      by
      with
      hot
     
     
      chocolate,
      Timbits,
      and
      donuts
      for
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cold
      campers.
     
    

    
     
      Brandy
      MacLellan
      was
     
     
      among
      the
      courageous
      souls
      who
     
     
      withstood
      Mother
      Nature’s
      cruel
      win-
     
     
      ter
      for
      the
      entire
      night.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      reason
      I
      went
      out
      and
     
     
      stayed
      the
      night
      was
      because
      it
      was
     
     
      something
      that
      I
      knew
      I
      would
      never
     
     
      do
      on
      my
      own
      [camp
      in
      the
      winter
     
     
      time],
      and
      at
      the
      same
      time
      I
      was
     
     
      protesting
      a
      good
      cause—tuition
      fees
     
     
      do
      need
      to
      be
      lowered.
      I
      knew
      it
     
     
      would
      be
      a
      good
      time,
      which
      it
      turned
     
     
      out
      to
      be,”
      said
      MacLellan.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      best
      part
      of
      it
      all
      though,
     
     
      was
      when
      I
      looked
      at
      my
      watch,
      just
      a
     
     
      little
      after
      5:30
      in
      the
      morning
      and
     
     
      just
      —
      two
      seconds
      later
      I
      hear
      some-
     
     
      one
      yell
      ‘Stop
      jogging.
      Freeze
     
     
      tuition.’
      It
      was
      pretty
      funny,”
      added
     
     
      MacLellan.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      big
      ol’
      Student
      Union
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THANK
      YOU
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Goes
      out
      to
      all
      who
      participated
      in
      the
      Feb.
      5th
      camp-out
      Feb.
      6th
      march.
     
     
      It
      was
      friggin’
      freezin’.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      These
      campaigns
      were
      a
      success
      because
      of
      you!
     
     
      Keep
      it
      up;
      let
      your
      voice
      be
      heard!
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [5]