“4

No soft
berth for
teachers

Unless you've dene a valid
survey of how many hours
the majority of teachers
spend in teaching and
teaching-related attivities
over the year - and you give
no indication in your editorial
of having done so —- your
statements about the ‘“‘soft
berth’? of teachers are
extremely irresponsible.

My experience is that the
more time one spends in the
schools, the more aware one
becomes of ' just how
demanding a teaching job is.
The teachers my. children
have had over the last 11
years on the North Shore
have been dedicated, hard-
working people who put in
many extra hours beyond the
school day supervising extra-
curricular activities, prepar-
. ing course work, marking
papers, meeting with parents
“ (afternoons and evenings),
participating in professional
meetings and _ in-service
training, - chaperoning
cances, helping with fund-
raising activities. ;

Society expects much more
of the schools than it used to
and students are less passive
than before, to point out two
of the increased pressures on
the school system.

I'm puzzled, too, by your
statement that ‘“‘The trus-
tees, who are elected by the
tax-payers to represent their
interests, are in fact largely
pro-teacher and pro-adminis-
tration...'". You imply that it
is not in the interest of
taxpayers to feel that money
should be spent on educat-
ion. | believe that thinking
taxpayers see such trustees
as representing their
interests. ,

I'm certainly not saying
that the school system is
perfect. Nor, do I think,
would most teachers, admin-
istrators, and trustees. But |
would like to see much more
public interest of a positive
kind in education. How many
people ever attend school
board meetings, and how
well attended are parent-
teacher meetings? .

The frequency with which
many people use teachers as
scapegoats makes me feel
that underneath criticism of
the schools lies a_ selfish
attitude regarding — social
needs. Society needs well-
educated people, and a good
education costs money.

Katherine Stcig
West Vancouver

Classified

Mon.-Fri. 9a.m - 9 pm
Saturday 9a.m.-6 p.m

986-6222

Dear Editor: -

You have caused more
irreparable damage to your
education system than you
will ever know.

Iil-conceived and poorly-
thought-out articles like
**Teachers, tears and laugh-
ter’’, have no positive effects
and only make it increas-
ingly difficult for your school
syste to maintain its
present level of performance.

I agree that the bureauc-
racies have grown too large. |
also agree that,
homeowner on the North
Shore, increased school taxes
will be hard to take.

However, increased equip-
ment costs, operating expen-
ses as well as wages, even
with declining enrolment
result in higher costs to the
taxpayer, - |

as a.

Did you_ investigate the
problems of financing a
school system prior to
writing your article?

Is it not a distortion of the
facts to list the annual
income of teachers without,
in the same breath, compar-
ing incomes of other tax
-supported civil service jobs
as firemen, policemen and
others?

In order for our society to
survive and in fact improve,
certain essential services
must be provided for and
paid for. Is education not one

“pf these services?

It is simply not a fact that
professional days are wasted
or that they even. coincide

with weekends. I think you |

might find a phone call to the
professional development
committee of the North Van
or West Van _ teachers’

Soft touch,
my bottom

Dear Mr. Speck:

I take great exception to
‘your article published in the
North Shore News. Soft

touch, my bottom! Do you

know of what you speak?

I have two sons-in-law who
work much longer hours than
you mention. One in Quebec
and the other in Ontario. |
#m sure the situation is no
different from that in B.C.
All I know is that they are

Director of Development

Municipal Hall
750 - 17th Street

(604) 922-1211 (local 287)

The 7.284 hectares (approximately

18 acres) site adjoins the Eagle Harbour
Elementary School between Marine Drive
and the B.C. Rail right-of-way (see
location map) and also has access from
the Upper Levels Highway. The property
site is presently zoned “RS .2" allowing
lots to be reduced to 1114 836 square

West Vancouver, BC V7V 3T3

dedicated to their profession
and I take a very dim view of
your views.

__ Did you ever stop to realize
what an influence teachers
have on your life?! can tell
you they certainly influenced
mine, and all to the good.

Please sir, do not be so
unkind.

John Froud
Wes!1 Vancouver

The Corporation of the District of
West Vancouver invites
Development Froposals for approx
18 acres in lower

BRITISH COLUMBIA RAILWAY _

The Corporation of the District of West Vancouver

of

_ reliable

estport

[Jesse

meters (12,000 sq. ft.) and consideration
will be given to a development permit
allowing cluster residential
developments. A portion of the site is to
be dedicated as park and creek areas

For information, write or telephone as
indicated below. Proposals must be re-
turned by 4p m. February 15th. 1979 to

associations very enlighten-
ing.

Unless you have access to
information not available to

‘the rest of us, I must assume
it is purely conjecture on

your part as the the hours
teachers spend working each
day.

The responsibilities of
teachers can be so diverse
from school to school that
only a survey could give you
information rep-
resentative of the entire
district, why don’t you use
your spare time checking it
out.

Why must you try to imply
that there are so many poor
teachers? There are no more

poor teachers per capita than .

there are poor doctors or
poor reporters. Remember,
someone must praduate at
the bottom of every class.

“Truly
—arag’

Dear Editor:

With regard to ‘Teachers,
tears and laughter’, if the
rest of your newspaper is
made up of such misin-
formation as was printed in
the above article, then you
truly are “the local rag” and
that’s a pity because I
thought you might make
something of that
publication.

Mrs. John Ewens
North Vancouver

ELEMENTARY

‘tance and difficulty

In closing, if as you stated
in your article that you ‘calls
them as you sees them”’’, I

_ challenge you to come to my

school for one week and take
on all of the responsibilities
of a classroom teacher.

The hundreds of teachers
and administrators whom
you have belittled publicly
deserve the chance to
demonstrate the true impor”
o
educating tomorrow’s adults.

Peter Lefaivre
Sentinel! Secondary Schoo]
West Van a

and West Vancouver

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