Editor, The News:
Re: BCTF digs in for endless war (B.C. Views, May 29).
Once again Tom ‘Old Man’ Fletcher goes hard on the rhetoric and soft on the facts.
First, the BCTF never called for an NDP government. The teachers called for change – change that would result in improvements for students and for a halt to the relentless attacks by the Liberal government on the profession.
Second, the term “classroom-warfare radicals” used to describe classroom teachers is far off the mark. The suggestion is that if you stand up for what you believe in and stand up for children, then you must be condemned as a radical.
How misguided and unfortunate.
I would guess then that Mr. Fletcher wouldn’t mind being called the same for his constant attempts to protect his friends in the right-wing Liberal party.
Third, “self-absorbed teachers” is not how I would describe a group of 40,000 adults who take care of this province’s children, with deteriorating classroom conditions, fewer resources, demoralizing comments from government, a push for private intervention, and a technology driven agenda.
Fourth, to suggest that the teachers’ wage proposal “was outrageously out of touch with reality” makes no sense when the dollar number came from an average of Canadian provinces.
The actual outrageous proposal is that the Liberals and Mr. Fletcher think that B.C. teachers should sacrifice more than the rest of the country.
Fifth, in order to answer the question, “What is this ghastly ‘status quo’ that must be challenged by ‘direct action,’ we need look no further than the right-wing agenda to demolish the social contract through privateering, corporatization, greed, and corruption.
That will take direct action and all are invited to join in that fight.
It amuses me how the right-wing is always ready to demonstrate how frightened they are of a bunch of teachers.
Todd Patrick
Maple Ridge
