'I will just have to do something around my schedule': Parents prepare for job action in schools

It's the mid-afternoon ritual for many parents and caregivers, gathering outside school to pick-up their little ones, but starting Friday that ritual may be put on hold.

Parents are starting to come to terms with the prospect that they will need to be part-time teachers.

Hilda Zelaya has daughters in university, high school and junior kindergarten. She works at home as administrator for her husband’s construction business but will now have to split time, helping four-year-old Natalia with her studies.

That is unfamiliar territory for Hilda, telling CTV News London, "She doesn't know how to use a computer or laptop. So I will probably, most likely, be with her receiving classes."

Autumn Buckingham says teachers have passed along learning links for online education. Her son, Nigel, is in grade one at Kensal Park French Immersion School, and she's grateful for the support.

Hilda Zelaya and her oldest daughter, Celesia, walk four-year-old Natalia home from Sir Isaac Brock Public School in London, Ont. on Nov. 2, 2022. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

"I’m very confident we’ll be able to keep him up to speed,” she says. “The links that they provided are absolutely phenomenal.”

Many parents say most of the material only covers a day or two of instruction, and there is concern if the job action is extended beyond that period.

Oksana Fedorenko says she and her husband both work and go to school. With one child in junior kindergarten at Sir Isaac Brock Public School and one in daycare, she's preparing for some upheaval.

"Most probably I will just have to do something around my schedule. So I will be taking care of them from home,” she says.

While most parents say they could do without the inconvenience, they're sympathetic to the education employees, including Zelaya.

Parents and guardians gather at the end of the school day to pick up students from Sir Isaac Brock Public School in London, Ont. on Nov. 2, 2022. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

“There's people that love their job but can't meet their bills, their expenses, so it's sad," she says.

Buckingham meanwhile says she’s fully behind the support staff in schools.

“I’m absolutely in line with the education workers. I support them 100 per cent and I’m in it for the long haul if they need to be on strike,” she says.

Buckingham also says she has friends who are scrambling to find places for their children in the event of the job action, many who can’t afford to take time off of work. She’s sympathetic to them as well and believes both sides need to work to resolve the stand off.

A representative with the Thames Valley District School Board says the board expects to release more information on Thursday regarding how they intend to deal with any interruptions to learning.