The recent column by Tom Fletcher reflects what I have been saying for many, many years.
It is time people wise up and no longer believe the lies told by the B.C. Teachers’ Federation that their priority is our children’s education instead of their paycheques.
I am a classic example of how low our level of education has fallen.
I was raised in Holland and became a high school drop-out in Grade 10 having very poor grades.
At age 42, I was required to present a Grade 12 Equivalence Certificate to enter my company’s machinist-tool and diemaker apprenticeship.
Without attending any more classes, as suggested by Vancouver Vocational Institute, I passed all tests “with flying colours.” Another test showed that my intelligence rated in the top five per cent of Canadians.
All through my five-year apprenticeship I was in the top three of my class joined by another apprentice of the same country.
Both of us were amazed that we only needed half the time than others (of which, some had just completed high school) to finish our assignments.
How poorly our children are educated… I found out earlier when my daughter started algebra and trigonometry in Grade 11, something I started back home in Grade 7 – as well as French, English, German and Dutch.
I further attended 18 different compulsory subjects each week, including, book-keeping, three hours of P.E. and more.
Our seven subjects each day were 55 minutes long with a five-minute class change, making it seven hours of learning each day with lots of homework for almost all subjects as well.
All this is a far cry for the part time our students attend schools in B.C. and the poor education they receive, including many of the useless subjects they are allowed to choose.
Pieter Spierenburg
Surrey
