I read the recent editorial headline stating “The BCTF is indoctrinating our kids” and even though the article seemed to be missing, the headline said it all.
(Editor’s Note: Due to a publication error the wrong headline appeared above last Friday’s column by Edward Hill.)
Remember that rule about how to not take things for granted, and how you don’t know how wonderful you have it until it is gone? I would like people to take a moment and imagine a life in B.C. without public education.
We have an African program called Chess which provides free education to girls who would not be educated otherwise. The African woman who started the program told her life story of getting in trouble sneaking in classrooms and hiding in order to learn because she wasn’t allowed to be there. She went to extreme measures all because she had a desperate desire to learn.
However, in B.C. the public takes for granted that we have one of the most incredible free education systems in the world designed by the teachers who implement it. They don’t seem to appreciate the dedicated teachers who for decades have volunteered thousands of personal hours for the benefit of their students.
If teachers request to be treated fairly and not bullied into a contract, the public is quick to ridicule them without ever considering how they should be supporting the teachers instead.
I read editorial headlines like this and am disgusted by the disdain it implies. I wish that newspapers would report instead how integral to our countries success the support of our public education system is.
Remember, if you can read this, thank a teacher.
Lara Allsopp
Langford