A study of the English Teachers’ Association of British Columbia, 1959-2000

This study traces the efforts of British Columbia teachers as they endeavour to have increasing input into the educational policies of the Department of Education. It is grounded in a study of primary archival records and written in the form of an historical narrative. Primarily, I focus on the English Teachers’ Association in B.C.: I trace its growth as a professional organization and follow its increasingly strident attempts to address the growing professional interests of English/Language Arts teachers in response to government policies, especially those affecting curriculum. Three main interrelated themes permeate the study: the professionalization of B.C. English/Language Arts teachers, the growth in the political power of teacher associations in B.C., and the effects of the B.C. government’s changing educational policies in English/Language Arts classrooms. My study follows the English teachers’ association from its beginning in 1959 when it was known as S.A.T.E., the Secondary Association of Teachers of English; during the years of 1971-1994 when it was called B.C.E.T.A., the British Columbia English Teachers’ Association; to its later years as B.C.T.E.L.A., the British Columbia Teachers of English Language Arts. The stud y reveals that as the decades pass, the association becomes increasingly persistent in its efforts not only to further the professional interests of English teachers but also to provide input to the government on curricular decisions affecting English/Language Arts classrooms. It also becomes increasingly persistent in its dealings with the government as their philosophies of education become more diverse. Keywords: education history; B.C. education; English teachers; teacher organizations; teacher professionalization; B.C. curriculum