Praise of teachers wildly exaggerated
As it appears that there aren’t more important things being talked about in the various Black Press community papers like oh, I don’t know, maybe the country fracturing along ethnic lines thanks to the blockades, I thought I would stop by and offer my take on the over the top praising of teachers by Rick Wunderlick.
The only thing which prevented me from going into a diabetic coma over his Pollyanna view of education in this province was that I remembered the sage words of Mark Twain: As babysitters, teachers are underpaid, and as educators they are overpaid. True back then, still true far too often today.
I support our public education system in many ways but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t areas of improvement that could be made. Although even with serious flaws, I will support it over private religious or ethnic schools.
However, the BCTF is not something I will support for putting the welfare of its members ahead of the education of students. Especially how every contract time, the BCTF uses the students as bargaining chips. Not that the provincial government doesn’t do the same thing.
I object to how kids in elementary school are simply passed along and go into high school with no depth of knowledge about the basics of writing, spelling, and simple mathematics in far too many cases.
I object to professional development days robbing the students of a day’s worth of education and robbing the parents of a day’s worth of babysitting. See the above quote of Mark Twain. Does anyone know of any other group of privileged “professionals” who get time off to do their jobs rather than take work home with them?
I object to how high school students are given assessment and praise by their teachers which have been shown to be up to 30 per cent over -nflated according to higher education facilities and employers. Sorry, Mr. Wunderlick, the facts undercut your excessive praise.
And above all, I object to how the BCTF protects teachers who have clearly seen better days, those who need to be rooted out, or are just plain incompetent.
No point in going on as I think I made my point that just like overly optimistic evaluation of many students by the teachers is wildly exaggerated, the shoveling of excessive and unrealistic praise of teachers and the profession is of no help to anyone, especially the students.
Robert T. Rock
Mission City
