I’m Lori, and I’m a retired Educational Assistant.
I worked with the Durham Catholic District School Board for nearly 25 years. I loved my job. I loved the students, and I loved the staff I worked with. I never imagined I’d retire early—but I did. And it wasn’t because I wanted to. It was because I didn’t feel safe, respected, or supported anymore. I had to chose a school for this story but this school doesn't necessary represent the good or bad experiences I am about to share.
Over the years, I’ve been hit, bruised, and bloodied—black eyes, busted lips, and more. At one point, strangers and even my own family thought I was being abused at home. But the truth is, these injuries came from students who were in crisis—students who needed help, but didn’t get the support they deserved.
We talk a lot about how the government is failing schools. That’s true. We absolutely need more funding and better resources. But that’s only part of the story. Leadership in our schools matters just as much. I worked in some schools where I felt appreciated and safe—where leadership made a real difference. And I worked in others, with the same funding, where I felt dismissed and afraid to speak up.
The Board has policies around harassment and bullying. But policies don’t mean much if they’re not enforced— staff are being harassed and ignored, even by those in charge.
That’s why I’m sharing this. Because I know these conversations are happening behind the scenes, and they need to be brought into the light. If you’re a leader and this message hits close to home—reflect. Change starts there. If you’re working in a school and feeling like I did—you’re not alone.
To every EA still showing up, doing the hard work, I see you. I know your battle. You deserve respect. You deserve safety. And you deserve to be heard.
It’s time we all listen.

I work at St Christopher Elementary CS. There are supposed to be 10 EA s on any given day. We have been running at 7-9 since December. We have lost 3 EAs to some sort of medical leave during the school year. All of those EA s have 1.8 full time years with the school board. We are tired and burning out having our schedules changed daily. We are watching kids go without coverage, seeing them lose months from their education. In every classroom we have kids "bundled" together so that 1 EA can work with all of them. Some classes have up to 4 high needs kids in them for 1 EA.
The amount of sickness that has arisen in this school year beats any year I've worked as an EA. (19 yrs including supply). So everyone is always sick.
We have a medically sensitive needs wheel chair bound child in a class with a highly volatile child with autism. The child with autism is getting next to no help causing him to lose a whole year of school. We have two children in one class that both have autism, one is echolelic and the other is highly volatile. The one who is echolelic has now started copying the other one dangerous outbursts. That's not even the half of it.
We have an old closet that is used for a movement room. Room enough for a pressure canoe, mini trampoline a tiny tent and a little tykes basketball net. We have no program support area to take the kids other than the library if it's available. No classroom of our own for resources and such. Our lunch bunch happens in the library along side of the musical rehearsals. This is the hardest year I've ever worked in this job. Mainly because there is no where to go.
However, the EA s we have are not very motivated either. The supplies we get are warm bodies that know nothing of the profession! I have a college certificate in this profession and feel quite insulted that I had to wait 2 years after graduating to be considered to be hired, then another 3 years of supply before becoming full time. Now the profession is treated like garbage.
I love what I do, I hate what is being done to my career.

Supply here often. Staff is welcoming and supportive. I accept ea positions often. Highly recommend.

This school has gone downhill over the last 3–4 years. Many staff, including myself, left last year due to poor working conditions and a complete lack of support from administration. Especially hard-hit are the educational assistants, who are doing their best while being constantly understaffed and overwhelmed. Safety is a major concern — students often run through the halls unsupervised, and violent or disruptive behaviour is rarely addressed with little to no consequences. Staff are regularly exposed to violence and classrooms are frequently evacuated. There’s nowhere near enough support for students with special needs. If you think your child is getting a quality education, think again. They’re being exposed to chaos, violence, and a culture of disrespect. It’s time to ask what’s really going on.

One of the biggest issues with St. Anne’s is how poorly the staff are treated. There’s a clear lack of appreciation for the teachers and support staff who work tirelessly to keep things running. Morale is visibly low, and it’s no surprise—there’s little to no recognition for hard work, and constructive feedback is rarely given.

It often feels like the administration is more concerned with appearances than actually supporting their educators. Decisions are made without involving or even informing the staff, and when problems arise, the blame is quietly pushed onto them rather than addressed properly.

This lack of respect and value for staff directly affects the students. Teachers who feel unsupported can’t give their best, and you can see it in the classroom atmosphere. High turnover has also become a problem, which only adds to the instability.

St. Anne’s needs to seriously reevaluate how it treats the very people who form the backbone of the school. Until then, I can’t recommend it as a place for either students or staff to thrive.

A very bad school. Not like any other high school. NEVER ATTEND HERE