It’s clear from Shelley Tuff’s letter that her son is disappointed (along with other students) that his teachers are not currently volunteering their personal time fundraising, booking buses and hotels, setting itineraries and taking the students on a trip to Quebec (Tribune, Jan. 24).
What’s not so clear is whether he’s just as disappointed that his mother is also (along with other parents) not organizing these trips.
I agree with her that the fight to protect rights trampled by Bill 115 is different from volunteering evening and weekend hours doing extracurricular activities with other people’s kids. I’m sure she’ll agree with me that school-teaching is different from parenting.
It’s unfortunate that she feels her son has “not been developing skills in communication, leadership, initiative, confidence, self-esteem and accomplishment,” but abdicating this job to teachers is wrong. The three R’s do not include rearing and raising.
Parents are just as capable as teachers to volunteer their time, perhaps with kids or perhaps fighting for the protection of people’s rights. Everyone agrees that both are important, but not everyone agrees on who should carry the load.
Robin Inniss
Guelph