Having the best of both worlds

Name: Erlinda Palines

Occupation: Teacher

Union: BC Teachers’ Federation

Erlinda Palines’s mom was pregnant with her when the family immigrated to Canada from the Philippines in 1975. Born and raised in Vancouver, young Erlinda often felt like a misfit at school.

“I didn’t like the peer pressure or the dynamics of friends, but what I did like was my teachers,” she said. “My parents split up when I was in Grade 7, and things were pretty tough at home. But I developed a close relationship with the school nurse, and basically the teachers were my saving grace.”

Palines enrolled in UBC’s Faculty of Education, determined to offer the same kind of support and caring for her future students that she had experienced as a youngster. “I wanted children to know that even if it’s very difficult at home or with your peers, teachers care and we can help you feel safe,” she said.

But when Palines graduated, it was the worst time in 30 years to start a career in teaching. It was 2001, the BC Liberals were newly-elected, and they immediately began a series of cuts that resulted in the loss of more than 3,000 teaching positions.

For the next five years, Palines had to work as a teacher on call (TOC), filling in for classroom teachers who were absent. Because the work was so sparse, she had to take on private tutoring to make ends meet. She had no job security and at one point she felt so hopeless about her prospects that she considered abandoning her dream of being a teacher.

Fortunately, Palines got involved in the Coquitlam Teachers’ Association, her local of the BC Teachers’ Federation. “On a personal and professional level, it gave me the community I needed. I didn’t have my own school, but I had the union. It was my home base.”

CTA leaders mentored Palines, and encouraged her to volunteer on the TOC Committee. “Our goal was to get TOCs to know their contract, know their rights, and to understand that the union is there to help. We also wanted to dispel the myth that if you’re heavily involved in the union you’ll never get a full-time job.”

In 2006, Palines did get a full-time job working with high-needs students in Coquitlam. She found that her union experience helped her become a much better teacher. “I’ve learned so much about problem-solving, about patience, about how to connect with people who have different viewpoints.”

She volunteered as a school union representative, and served three years on the local executive. Her dream job came about when she was seconded from school to work part-time at the CTA office. “I loved being in the union two days a week, and being in school three days a week kept me connected to the kids. I had the best of both worlds!”