Teacher's Strikes Don't Help Anyone

I have a lot of relatives and good friends who are teachers and every time I make a comment about teachers some of them will say that I’m too hard on them, that I don’t know what I’m talking about, that I’ve never had to teach children.

Well that isn’t right.

I have taught children in school band and tutored them in music lessons.

I’ve led a church youth group for many years, and in my youth I was a sunday school teacher and a school scripture teacher.

I organised combined regional youth group of almost a thousand attendees in my university days in Lismore.

I been a leader with many groups of young people camping with Salvation Army Youth activities and was the Chairman of the Festival of Light’s Education Committee.

But most importantly I am a parent.


Even if I had never worked with children a day  in my life, as a parent I have more than some insight into my own children.

As a parent I see them come home with homework they don’t understand and work that the teacher has told them complete by asking their parents to teach them. We don't mind being involved but....

Often parents feel that this is why homework is given, because the teacher hasn’t taught or can’t teach the subject adequately and expects the parents to help them do their job of teaching the children.

Now this morning once again teachers have abandoned their role of teaching children during the hours they are paid to do that job. They are asking for the support of parents.  


But the government is making changes that have long been needed.  Sure these changes might not be perfect.

But will strikes help anyone?


Turn It Up
I'm Michael Robinson