Wednesday October 3, 2001 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A7 COMMENT A special day to celebrate teachers Doug Willard SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Ask most adults to name the people who have had the greatest impact on their lives and many will say it's their teachers. Without question, a dedicated, innov ative and well-qualified teacher can make a tremendous difference in a child's education, a child's life, and ulti mately, the future of our country. Teachers have a wide and deep under standing of their subject matter and a repertoire of proven strategies for trans ferring that knowledge to their students. They recognize that parents want high academic standards. They know that par ents want their children to achieve. TTiey understand that parents want their sons and daughters to grow up to be loving and tolerant in the ever-changing society of the 21st century. On all fronts, Canada's teachers have delivered. Consistently, they prepare students to be good and solid citizens of the future and to make their way in the increasing ly pluralistic society in which we live. They equip students with the tools nec essary to succeed in a world that seems to change by the month, with the advance of technology, globalization and, recently, the threat of terrorism. Teachers are the cornerstone of our' public education system which in turn is the cornerstone of our democracy. They play a vital role in preparing our young people for the duties of citizenship and in their development as caring, honest and industrious human beings. As keepers of Canada's education system, teachers can be active agents and advocates for the transformation of glob al society into a better place. They help to shape the future and because teachers guide and motivate student learning, their commitment to and passion for knowledge affect all Canadians. Young Canadians are not bom with knowledge and traits to be members of democratic society; they acquire them through the education Canada's teachers help deliver. This has never been more true than in recent weeks, as students everywhere have struggled to comprehend the mean ing and repercussions of the Sept. 11 ter rorist attacks that took thousands of lives in New York City and Washington. As always, teachers, in the wake of these horrifying events, have ensured their classrooms have remained a safe haven for students who feel threatened by last month's terrorist acts. Those who recently have been victims of violence in their homelands can find in the class room the rehabilitation and care they so desperately need. For children bewildered by these and other violent and mind-numbing events, the public school system and its teachers are vital tools for reconstruction. Our schools and our teachers provide guideposts and sounding boards which help children express their emotions and deal with the events they have witnessed. By building strong minds and hearts today, Canada's teachers do their part to help ensure that incidents of hatred and violence that happened yesterday will not repeat themselves tomorrow. If we are to create a stable and demo cratic society in the 21st century, our public school system must be the focal point where people can meet and learn to live together. Learning to live side b y side in harmony is one of the biggest challenges of this century. Living togeth er today will help build the society of tomorrow. Oct. 5, is World Teachers* Day. It is not simply 24 hours of recognition of the people who teach our children from the international to the local levels. World Teachers' Day is a time for each of us to remember the teachers who have made a difference in our lives --the people who gave us the tools that have helped to build and shape our lives. Nothing is ultimately more important to the quality of education than the qual ity of teaching. Thanks to teachers, Canada has one of the best public educa tion systems in the world. Doug W illard is President of the Canadian Teachers' Federation Thursday, Oct. 4. 11-7 Beate from Lejaby, Paris will join our fitting team Refreshments, Gifts with purchase and a chance to win a Lejaby bra & panty set. fr o m p e t ite to f u ll fig u r e ABCDEFGH 107 Reynolds St., (north of Lakeshore Rd. E.,) downtown OAKVILLE 845-1210 Letters to the Editor O ut o f s ig h t , o u t o f m in d Re: 'Taken fo r granted" (editor ial Oakville Beaver, Sun., Sept. 23, 2001) I too was shocked and upset when President Bush neglected to thank us, or even mention our country in his address to the nation on T h u r s d a y e v e n i n g . Canadians are all wondering what Bush's intentions were for this. Just like Australia, France, Britain, South Korea, and even Indonesia, we mourned the lost lives, and had moments of silence. Canada even sent doctors to New York, offered (limited) manpower and weapons, and looked after the diverted passen gers, so was it because the US includes Canada with themselves, because our mili tary is insignifi cant, ignorance on Bush's part, or just a slap in the face? Canada has had so much in v o lv e m e n t... haven't we? Does it really matter that as soon as the attacks happened, it was France, Britain, and coin cidentally the other countries mentioned in Bush's speech, which publicly confirmed their support to the US, while Chretien wasn't able to take a firm visible stand on the issue? Chretien has barely talked to Bush since the tragedy, and it seems to me that as far as Canada's support is con cerned, we are out of sight and, therefore, out of mind. H o U e a ^ P M -t. End Of Season C lea rance SA LE Pumpkin Arrangements Bursting with fresh fall flowers. A perfect hostess gift. Priced From... f /C W pW each It's here! The sale every gardener waits for. Save now on a great selection of products during our End Of Season Clearance Sale. Hurry in...while stock lasts! This Week October 3 - October 9 ° /o Pot Mums Brighten up your home this fall with a beautiful pot mum from Garden Gallery. Choose from our wide selection of popular fall colours. 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