I strongly differ RE:the philosophy of what it means to be a TA. I do it because I love to instruct and teach ambitious, aspiring minds. It's actually enjoyable for me. Yeah, the marking duty may be bland occasionally, but seeing improvement as a function of time alleviates most of the boredom as a smile grows on your face knowing that all the feedback you were giving the class actually worked. I DO NOT see TAing as a primary source of income. From the get-go I assumed it's supplementary to other sources. What I'm about to say will insult many people and perhaps you, but it is my opinion that if you find yourself working for your bread and butter solely based on TAing...you need to re-evaluate your life choices. Perhaps I only have this view because I started out with less than most other people and built my way to a very satisfactory position. Because of this reason, I never had issue with the limit I can earn.
I find some parts of this borderline offensive. Not in the sense that you're saying offensive things at me, but in the sense that aligning these views to an anti-strike/pro-strikebreaking stance feels like you're tacitly saying that pro-CUPE folks disagree with these things.
I also love to teach. Teaching is my favourite thing. Even more than research, I think. I've spent the year being a CI for MAT137 (incidentally the math course I myself took in my first year of undergrad!) and I have enjoyed the experience tremendously. I would really, really prefer to be teaching my class rather than walking the picket lines. A lot. I don't know anyone that walks the picket lines with me who thinks otherwise. We all love teaching a lot, and we love our students. Heck, half of our chants this week have been about that very thing!
I DO NOT see TAing as a primary source of income.
Why not? For me and just about everyone else I know here, TAing simply is our primary source of income. That's not a thing I can have an opinion about, it's just true. Particularly in a department like mine, in which there is more TAing and teaching jobs to be had than in most.
but it is my opinion that if you find yourself working for your bread and butter solely based on TAing...you need to re-evaluate your life choices.
I don't understand what you mean here. I'm a graduate student, and my department covers my tuition, gives me a little over $8k in fellowship, asks me not to get another job, and offers me TA work. How else am I supposed to butter my bread? My fellowship doesn't even cover my rent and a Metropass every month.