economist suntribune saturday jan 26 2002 stouffville tribune a metroland community newspaper 9 heritage rd markham ont l3p 1m3 telephone 905 2942200 416 7987624 fax 905 2941538 email newsroomeconsuncbm publisher ian proudfoot general manager aluin brouwer editor in chief brenda larson director of advertising debra welter deputy editor debora kelly classified manager ann campbell editor jim mason retail sales manager stephen mathieu production manager pam nichols inside sales manager stacey allen distribution manager barry black business manager robert imzitrko electronic communications manager john futhey office manager vivian oneil letters boys might lag behind girls because most teachers are female re boys lag in school experts jan 1 7 what a relief it was reading about the lat est research on the gender gap that exists in elementary schools the article covered both the biological dif ferences between female and male students and the need to modify curriculum however one critical factor as to why boys lag behind girls in grading was missing the vast majority of teachers are female this cant be a coincidence without meaning to female teachers have a tendency to relate more to girls perhaps a more boyfriendly curriculum as discussed in the article would help women teachers relate more to their male students by the time students attend university males no longer lag behind females in grades part of the reason young men catch up likely has to do with maturity butiets not forget the vast majority of professors are men jeffharmsen newmarket teachers refusal to take tests is extremism gone too far re teachers refusing to take their tests jan 17 i did something that i previously thought unimaginable upon reviewing the jan 17 front page was compelled to hide the paper from my children teachers and their union bosses have been complaining and either defying rules or outright breaking the law for about seven years how as taxpayers we have been forced to bankroll their salary increases and 75 billion pension plan while receiving precious little in additional value for pur money it has been annoying and frustrating but we have tried to put lip with it however this business of teachers refus ing to take their tests is extremism gone too far it is an absolute outrage that these so- called public servants openly say that they wont take their tests apparently because they dont feel like it have these people even begun to think of what kind of this message this sends to children just when concern for student dropout ratios is on the front pages these selfish peo ple are putting their own personal and politi cal interests ahead of being role models for students can anyone possibly imagine telling a strugging student that its ok to skip a test if they dont agree with having to take it how about respect for school rules like no smoking arent students supposed to obey whether they agree with it or not the disrespect some teachers and their union bosses have for their job responsibili ties and the rule of law shows more than ever just how bad things have become more than ever bureaucracies like the public education system prove to us that their top priority is the best interest of the teachers and others who work there it shows just how out of touch they are with the real world and how poorly they would fare if they actually had to work in it people like the unnamed unionville teacher quoted in the story should resign immediatly and not get paid one single penny for doing so parents and students expect nothing less than responsible public educators who respect the rules and provide positive exam ples of how to behave in society frank gray unionvlle children being raised without respect for private property re cranky grownups should be kept away from children a column by rick vanderlinde jan 5 the way i see it the community or should i say the parents are raising children who will grow up without respect for other peoples property ive witnessed children literally plowing through shrubbery in search of a lost ball why is it that someone who works hard to keep their property looking nicebecomes the grinch and the wicked old witch of the neigh bourhood when they complain about road hockey players and guess what we are not all childless couples we didnt allow our own children to run all over our neighbours property jwright unionville join our online discussions at yorkregioncom your opinion is important to us on our let ters to the editor pages and on our website we invite you to join the ongoing discus sions at yorkregioncom and youre welcome to launch your own discussion there too the site serves readers of the york region newspaper group which includes the economist sun stouffviue tribune richmond hillthornhill liberal vaughan citizen newmarketaurora erabanner georgina advocate and stouffville sun letters policy stbuffvilletribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a 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midlandpenetanguishene mirror milton canadian champion milton shopping news mississauga news newmarket- aurora georgina erabanner northumberland news north york mirror oakville beaver oakville shopping news orillia today oshawawhitbyclaringtonport perry this week peterborough this week richmond hillthornhillvaughan liberal scarborough mirror stouffville tribune todays seniors uxbridge tribune and city of york guardian phone 95 2942200 fax 905 2941538 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 distributioncconsuncom frank daggett you cant legislate character but you can set good example am i alone in being tempted to park in a space reserved for the physically challenged in a crowded parking lot im sure many drivers have had the urge to take advantage of choice park ing provided for those who really need to park in close proximity to their desti nation after all you reason you only have to run in for a minute hardly time for someone to ticket you or tow your vehi cle who could possibly be inconve nienced on one occasion i broke the law it was after i bought a used car from a rel ative while searching through the glove compartment i found a parking permit that still had three years left onit i didnt think much about it at the time figuring if the previous owner needed it he would get in touch so i left it in the car a few weeks went by before i showed up at an event where there was absolutely no parking except of course two reserved parking spaces selfish act out came the sticker and in went my car to the choicest parking spot on the lot a selfish act befitting george costanza of seinfeld fame im sure it was the one and only time i took advantage of the situation and its not something i care to repeat the response i receive when telling this story is disapproval confirming what my gut told me all along it was the wrong thing to do and showed no respect to those who need the parking for more than just convenience a recent letter to our newspaper from an expectant mother upset by someone taking a courtesy parking spot reserved for pregnant women reminded me of- my- least courteous moment while i cannot relate to what a moth ertobe feels like i do respect the effort some stores make to set parking spots aside for expectant moms tt is their hope of course other people will extend the same courtesy but if people choose not to show such courtesy they are riot breaking the law only showing their true characters in fact the parking issue is a good example of how character affects our daily lives york region is working to become a corhmunity of character and even where we park our cars defines who we are you cant legislate character just as you cant arrest soineone for stupidity but as we all try to set standards and examples of good character maybe we should start with the simple things in life besides the walk will do us good i r f i 1 t 1 1 4 i