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I 12 - Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday. July 12. 2000 y by Pater Jaworski y Lemmings. They're those little creatures who, according to those folks who study such things, chase each other about and, when trouble hits, just keep coming back for more. You know the ones, they follow follow each other off cliffs (though I'm told that is just folklore) and take part in what can be aptly described as 'taking 'taking a beating and going back for more'. I really do feel for these little guys. Looking back at the last three years I get an overwhelming overwhelming sense that in this province teachers have become the lemmings human counterpart. Each new year has seen a persistent volley of insult and degradation hurled in the direction of our educators educators and yet, like those furry little creatures, they keep going back for more. That's not to say, however, that the teaching profession is filled with googley-eyed and uninspired individuals. Quite the contrary. But it is to say that maybe we should take a good look at the treatment our teachers have received before we have few of them left to watch tumble off a cliff. The first nudge from our provincial government came with the appointment of John Snobelen to the position of Minister of Education. He may be, and probably is, an extraordinarily intelligent and well-read individual, but the trouble is that he didn't acquire these skills in school. He dropped out somewhere around grade 11. Appointing him to this position is like appointing a Protestant pastor for the position of Roman Catholic'Bishop-he may have the requisite skills and abilities abilities but his lack of experience within the organization would disqualify him immediately. The second push came when the Tories turned this educational educational discussion into a media affair. Remember that commercial commercial with the prominent clock and the voice over that asked, rhetorically, whether an extra couple of minutes a day was really so much, to ask? Or how about that thirty second spot that 'informed' us about teacher testing and how it is our right, as taxpayers, to know that we are getting what we paid for? Doubtlessly both pieces of legislation (contained in Bill 160) were* called for, especially especially the latter, but to put it on television in the form of a commercial was uncalled for. In the first place the commercials commercials were unfair because teachers do not have the adequate adequate resources to advertise their point of view in such an expensive fashion. Secondly, the commercials seemed to bê aimed at destroying morale by implying throughout that teachers were being lazy and unreasonable in even thinking about opposing the legislation. legislation. And let's not forget that the Harris Tories have managed managed all manner of things, lowering taxes, for instance, without the benefit of flashy television advertisements. The use of this medium here is, to say the least, questionable. questionable. The berating did not, however, however, end there. That same Bill (160) contained within it yet another provision-mandating provision-mandating extra-curricular activities. activities. Yes, somewhere within that cumbersome 262 page document lays this particular 'gem' of a law which amounts to giving our poor lemmings a good swift kick in the seat of their pants. I mean, think about it, mandating the coaching coaching of sports teams and drama productions is akin to telling teachers outright that, were it not for legislation, they wouldn't have the kindness nor the inclination to make school a bit more fun for the kids of their own choice. Teachers have always coached sports teams, directed directed student plays and super vised clubs without it ever , being part of their job description. description. It sort of flows naturally from their profession. In order to eveit want to be a teacher you sort of have to, by default, at least like kids somewhat. And if you at least like kids somewhat you'll probably want to extend learning further than just within the boundaries of the classtoom-you'll want to coach or to direct or to do some counseling or whatever. Since teachers always have and always will participate in extra-curricular's this particular particular piece of legislation is entirely unnecessary and is, in principle, offensive to teachers. teachers. The culmination of all of this is that our teachers, or at least the ones I've spoken to, have lost some of the 'chutzpah', 'chutzpah', and motivation that they used to possess. Being a teacher is not as edifying a position here as it once was. Let's hope the Ontario Tories quickly realize that their methods with regards to education education policy are byzantine because it's just a matter of time before the lemmings figure figure out that they're being pushed off a cliff. And it's just a matter of time before parents figure out that their children are going to break the fall. Comments, thoughts and criticisms can be e-mailed to pjaworski@hotmail.com COLLISION REPAIR PROFESSIONALS Fred Devries Proprietor FRED'S AUTOBODY LTD. Estimates • Repairs •Restorations 163 Baseline Road, Unit 1 Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3L4 Tel: (905) 623-6353 Fax: (905) 623-3913 DURHAM COMPUTER SYSTEMS "We're here to support you! Local service & sales for your personal computer needs. 99 DURHAM COMPUTER SYSTEMS 71 KING STREET WEST, NEWCASTLE (across from C1BC) Hours: Monday to Saturday 10 - 6 (905) 987-2047 • durhamcs@home.com SUBSCRIBE 13ÉÈÈËÊ TO THE ORONO ART GU/VXY WEEKLY Sammer TIMES program § $25.00 a year. 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