The Editor,
To volunteer one's services and energy to any of the various charities and other causes identified across our society is a noble endeavour. It is also a sad indictment of the failure by all levels of government to provide the most basic of needs to our most vulnerable citizens.
Still, if any one volunteer should decide, for whatever reason, to discontinue their involvement in their local food bank, seniors' home or cancer agency, we would acknowledge their contribution and we would be loathe to judge them or condemn them for this decision.
Why, then, do we rush to vilify our teachers when they decide to discontinue their volunteer efforts, those extra-curricular activities for their students? Are their contributions being taken for granted? Are our teachers to be held to a different standard than every other volunteer who serves our community?
When will Premier Christy Clark and Education Minister George Abbott take responsibility for their actions? By stripping teachers of their right to fair collective bargaining and implementing draconian legislation, they have given teachers little choice but to use the only leverage they have left. I can't help but wonder how many of teachers' detractors do volunteer work at their respective places of employment.
We need to give our teachers the respect and support they deserve.
Terry Godfrey, Coquitlam
