Alberta students face stress, uncertainty as legislation looms to end teachers strike

As legislation looms ordering striking Alberta teachers back to work, Jennifer Black is bittersweet about returning to class to teach English to dozens of anxious Grade 12 students while feeling hopeless herself.

“I’m happy to return because I know the kids need me,” Black said in an interview from her Calgary home. “But I’m unhappy to return because nothing has changed.”

Black is among 51,000 teachers and 750,000 students in public, separate and francophone schools who face the possibility of soon returning to the classroom.

The provincewide teachers strike is now into its third week. Premier Danielle Smith says the standoff is becoming an intolerable hardship for students and families and has indicated her government expects to introduce back-to-work legislation as early as next week.