No power, no respect for teachers

Surely we have reached the zenith of PC when a teacher is censured trying to stop one student injuring another [ NZH, Dec 09]. Placing her hand on the head of a boy banging the head of another against his desk was sufficient for the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal to label the teacher’s action as “serious misconduct”. The tribunal required the teacher to undertake professional development in classroom management. Students know teachers have little in the way of disciplinary powers. This leads (inevitably) to students having little respect for teachers. And we wonder why there is a shortage of teachers. Des Trigg, Rothesay Bay.

Tribunal’s call ridiculous

It is not Wairarapa schoolteacher Lesley Davies who “may have brought the teaching profession into disrepute”, but the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal who definitely have through their ridiculous decision to censure her for restraining one student from repeatedly banging another’s head into a desk. What an uproar there would have been if she had not intervened and the boy had been rendered unconscious or got concussion or brain damage. It would seem Davies was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t. Who would want to be a teacher today? H.E.H. Perkins, Botany Downs.

Would-be tutors be warned

The Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal has decided Wairarapa college teacher Lesley Davies committed “serious misconduct” in 2015 when she put her hand on a student’s head to restrain him banging another student's head on a desk. The tribunal stated “her conduct reflects adversely on her fitness to be a teacher and may bring the teaching profession into disrepute”.

A harsh statement? Lesley's intervention possibly prevented the victim from incurring brain damage had the attack been prolonged. The tribunal procrastinated for more than two years before finalising its decision and stated it was a “borderline case”. Was common sense seen as an obsolete option when the judgment was made?

Davies, who taught for 11 years at the college without controversy, was made redundant after the incident, her teaching registration now under review. Something to ponder for those aspiring to become a teacher? P.J. Edmondson, Tauranga.

Trump treatment unfair

Another day, another “hit job” on Donald Trump. It’s plain to any fair-minded reader that any pretence of being “fair and balanced” has gone from the Herald.

It’s a sad day for New Zealand when our largest news publication is used to push a particular agenda or ideology. The Herald has crossed the line from delivering information to presenting a point of view. Joining with like-minded left-wing media around the globe, it has entered the political arena and embarked on a “crusade” to “take down” Donald Trump, simply because you see him as a threat to your particular world view.

Your articles are more often than not filled with nasty, vindictive, demeaning vitriol which reflects a deep-seated dislike and even hatred on the part of your “writers”. This applies not only to your opinion pieces, but also to your so-called “news” articles. The fact that a significant number of people voted for and support Donald Trump’s stance on many issues seems to have escaped you.

Rather than give readers credit that they have the intelligence to make up their own minds, it seems the Herald has decided you must tell us what to think.

Bruce Pedersen, Kaipara.

Storing water sensible

It is only the beginning of December and already the temperatures are rising and rainfall is scarce. There is threat of water restrictions. Surely it is logical and commonsense that people store water when it rains, especially as we have had floods in many regions. Why is it not mandatory for all households to have a roof rain-collecting tank and all farmers have dams on their properties? With a prediction of a long, hot, dry summer (and it happened last year) water is a precious commodity and will continue to gain in value as we experience more climate change. Those who live in the regions survive on tank water, use it carefully and treat it with respect. Why can't city and town dwellers do the same?

Marie Kaire, Whangarei.

Something went wrong

The three Rs were considered the basis of a good education . . . reading, writing and arithmetic. Once they were mastered, children had the tools to learn anything else of interest. Also, firm discipline was considered essential for providing a wellordered classroom. Ask anyone past middle-age and they will tell you a similar story. They sat up, shut up and listened. Rote learning ensured that they still remember their times tables, they can do maths without a calculator, they can do mental arithmetic. They know the difference between bought and brought, number and amount, fewer and less . . . and something has a g on the end, not a k. They know where to put an apostrophe. Then methods changed, discipline was removed, political correctness was introduced and the recent results are very concerning, to say the least. H Robertson, St Heliers.

Let’s learn from Finns

Referring to Sandra Iversen's George Milhaljevich's comments and insights relating to our children's literacy decline (9/12), why not take a fresh approach and look to countries where education models and subsequent test results are outperforming many others, such as Finland?

Its decision to invest in education about 40 years ago as part of an economic recovery plan has paid off as reflected by their consistent high-scoring results across all subjects. They have achieved this by going against the evaluationdriven model many Western countries use and implemented integrative learning (wonderful for the many different learning styles) as well as elevating the teaching profession to a place of respect with wages reflecting this.

They recognised that an anxious child cannot learn effectively and chose an innovative model removing the endless testing and measuring as well as making sure there was a healthy proportion of school time spent outdoors. Continuing to use the evaluation model assures us there will always be a class of people who “don't measure up” ( think low self-esteem, low self-worth and the subsequent often lifelong social and personal issues that follow) as well as many students unable to reach full potential due to the inherent nature of the testing model. We all need to be motivated to do our best but perhaps there is another way than anxietyinducing testing. With all the talk of a fresh new approach, surely education is ripe for an intelligent, evidence-based change. Rita Riccola, Mindful NZ Schools, Ponsonby.

Rough ride to treatment

On November 30, I suffered a mild heart attack and was taken from Kerikeri to Kawakawa Hospital by St John's ambulance. Doctors decided I must go to Auckland for further treatment, resulting in a 4.5-hour road trip by ambulance through continuing roadworks to repair Northland's poor roading. This is a situation that is perpetual for the North. I would like to suggest that Phil Twyford and Shane Jones, the ministers in charge of roads, Peter Merci, the CEO of Transport NZ, and Graeme Johnson, the new CEO of Fulton Hogan NZ, be strapped in an ambulance and transported from Kawakawa to Auckland to experience the atrocious conditions we Northlanders suffer every day on SH1 and other roads. I suggest it is a trip they will not forget.

Jim Stephen, Kerikeri.

Traffic-congestion answer

The easing of Auckland’s motorway traffic congestion could take a giant leap forward by establishing a ferry terminal at Highbrook, which is rapidly becoming a vast commercial B region, employing thousands of people, many of whom probably reside in the City Centre.

Added to that, the town centres of Otara and Botany are all within walking distance, allowing more and more citizens to use ferry transport .

In the long term, this would be a step forward to increase the prospects of building a canal through to the Manukau harbour, which has the potential to relieve Ports of Auckland of its container-storage problem by shifting containers to the abundant storage capacity at Wiri.

Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.

Bottlers should pay

With the forecast for a long, dry summer it is likely there will be restrictions placed on water use throughout the country. Also, a recent survey has disclosed that in many areas water supplies are untreated, creating increasing health risks, while district councils complain that they just do not have the funds to build and maintain water-treatment plants.

On the other hand, we are currently exporting millions of litres of our pristine water extracted from aquifers and underground reserves. One overseas company recently applied for a permit to export 580 million litres of the water annually, and there is a plan for a consortium to export in bulk billions of litres of water taken from Mt Aspiring National Park. No doubt most of the profits from these enterprises will be earned overseas, resulting in minimal tax payable in New Zealand.

These exporters could afford to pay a levy of 10 to 20 cents a litre from the expected multimillion-dollar profits. It could be used to build and maintain the infrastructure needed to ensure adequate supplies of clean water would be available to all of our increasing population.

Brian Alderson, Glen Eden.