awe SAM ROME ACE OEE A a aN ne . temptation “fily”’ ot Teacher 7 ~~ wants to Speak — _” Dear Mr. Speck: 1 read with great interest your Speckulations of Sun- day, January 21, entitled Teachers, tears and laugh- ter. As spokesman for more than three hundred fifty full- ‘and part-time teachers in West Vancouver I resist the to respond to your editorial with either a parent’s or a teacher's point of view. Rather, let me invite “you to extend you: education by spending a day or days ‘in a West Vancouver School. -Name the school, the grade level, the subject. Come with - an open mind and discover whether your opinions as expressed publicly have any basis in fact. No amount of rhetoric from a teacher is likely to change your attitude. Perhaps an explor- tion of what teachers are expected to do in. ‘‘less than 200 days per year’’ might. Should you be interested — inispending a full day with a ‘teacher, please call me by telephone at 922-3931 (between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p-m.) or 929-3901 after 6:00 p.m. k would be more than willing to find a teachér of any grade or subject who would, without ‘‘gilding the host you in his/her school from normal time of arrival to normal time of leaving. You would have the opportunity to observe the conditions that prevail in our school system, to see how students are,taught and how they react to instruction, to get a feeling about the ‘tone’ or atmosphere of the school, to talk with teachers, in short to greatly improve your understanding of how schools have changed since ‘you and I attended public school. ] would also be willing to present you with facts and figures about salaries, learn- ing conditions, teaching skills, or whatever other information you might desire. 1 believe that by meeting we might both learn something of value from each other. As one who chose tcaching as a vocation, | cannot resist the opportunity to do a litte teaching of a pupil who has the opportun- ity to communicate — with preat numbers of the public. J.C. Crook, President, W.V.T.A. ” “A FRACTION of the ORIGINAL COST"’ Large inventory of Con- signment & Bankruptcy Stock of Ladies up-to-date High Quality Fashion Wear. RECOLLECTIONS Boutique 3106 Edgemont Blvd. North Vancouver ; Dear Editor: I refer to your recent Speckulations and the other side of the coin by Ted Archibald. Whilst agreeing . that the Classroom Teacher is not overpaid: for the work he, or she, is doing, and that most of the teachers are . doing a good job, costs for education in. North Van- . couver are the highest by far _ in the Lower Mainland and the senior administration is perhaps the largest in the Province for the size of the District. - The high taxes suffered by the residents of North Vancouver are not due to the Classroom Teacher. Although the pupil/teacher ratio in this District is the lowest in the Lower Mainland and for any large or medium size district in British Columbia, our - ‘class: size is about average and one must repeat the ‘question, “Where” are the missing teachers?” One does not have far to look. We see a small army engaged in, to quote the Minister of. Education, reinventing the wheel, by duplicating services provided by the Provincial Government or already completed by other School Districts. We see others masquerading as recreation and social services con- sultants in the Community Schools, The Community services _of these schools cost the North Vancouver taxpayer at least a quarter of a million dollars at present. If ex- panded to include all North Vancouver schools the cost - will increase to $1,500,000. of success. For what? Certainly not for education. We also read of Dental Hygienists being funded by the School Board to carry out a programme for three-year-olds. ' Com- mendable? Yes. Education? Doubtful. - It seems that the School Board in the past has searched high and. low for ways to spend the Education dollar and with a great deal Although - in- flation is blamed for rising education costs, the School Board Budget increased at almost twice the rate of inflation, despite the loss of 4,000 pupils, in the past few years. The cost of educating each student here increased 113% from 1973 to 1977, the largest increase ‘by far for a community of this size. Teachers’ salaries are blamed for the rapid in- Publishers, plaintiveness and absurdity Dear Editor: First let me congratulate _ Mr. Speck for finally writing an article (Teachers, tears and laughter) that I was able to read in its entirety. If this was his aim, then he suc- ceeded immearsurably. - However, if his aim was to help the reader pass judgment on teacher's work © load by a thorough, unbiased presentation of the facts, then [ must say he failed, miserably. Apart from a few ran- domly selected salary figures the rest of this “article” contained no specific facts -Hiil's Gastown 165 Water St. Van. 685-4249 Ven SDA Ze -OZ— vers ° ‘but copious amounts of hearsay. The glib accounts presented will certainly conjure up visions of over- paid, obese, languid teachers in the minds of the uninformed, and serve as another prod to _ their misdirected hostilities. The rest of us will summon up our patience and benevolent understanding — hoping that Mr. Speck will soon return to his prodigious accounts of the joys of sailing or installing a wood- burning stove. D. Marsden North Vancouver Sale Special icelandic Garment In Store On Every 10-40 % off Layaway Plan — ¥3 Down No Deposit Refund 3 Stores To Serve You -Hill's indian Crafts 34 Nicol St. Old Firehall Nanaimo, B.C. 763-3611 -Hill's indian Crafts -1 Mile South of Duncan taland Highway Koksilah 746-6731 OUR SHOWROOM _ North -Vancouver, 100% portable OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK MON. TOFAL TILL O SAT & SUN. TILL 5 FREE DEMONSTRATION PLUS... salaries. Every ‘year School Teachers’ salaries in this District take a smaller slice ‘of the education pie, from a high of 74% in 1972 to 69% in 1978 and 68.9% in 1979, . - Fixed costs are another excuse for the high costs in fixed costs being the maintaining “auto radiator repairs radiators - heaters - gas tanks - air conditioners . We've been repairing and servicing automotive and marine cooling systems tor almost 30 years. Drive in service - come around back. Marne Onve ¢ 2 16th 3 E 15th o o 14th 1175 West 14th St., N.V. Page 25, January 31, 1979 -. North Shore News Come to the professionals. ~~ last strav crease but all other School | Districts. pay equivalent — the. and operating of buildings. Although the = school population has Board has yet- to abandon one building. Ted Archibald claims that the question of school costs_is a recent ’ phenomenon. ‘He is right. At dJast the straw has broken the Came!’ 's back. Ernie Sarsfield North Vancouver For honest estima es and advice, call John Lock- wood. 4175-West 14th St., 3 3 blocks south of Marine Dr. left off Pemberton. 984-0374 *reverybodys’ Lap of Luxury NOW \ SUN TAKE THE PLUNGE! Escape “from: the winter chills into your own. Portable Spa S LUXURIOUS & COMPLETELY PRIVATE 420 WEST 6TH AVE., VANCOUVER 7 2 jets for total massage LET US INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR PRODUCT WHY DELAY CALL TODAY ANO TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT US DROADWAY PHONE 872-8541 OTH AVE @ Shab RR a declined - from 22,000 to 18,000 the | ° . . a. oy eed OB et AEE ER te E te WE