Teacher aides

I could not agree more with Sarah Hunter (Nov 7), that 2400 teacher aides would be far better than 600 special needs experts, who, it seems, will be attached to more than one school, thereby having no special allegiance to one school and its special needs students.

In my last five years of teaching I was an ‘‘ongoing resource funded’’ teacher in charge of special needs in one school, known for accepting special needs children and with a visual resource unit attached. I spent some one to one time with the children and mentored the teacher aides, who worked with them. Those women were amazing. They were paid a pittance and did a sterling job. They were dedicated to their charges and took a number of courses to become upskilled.

I hope the teachers will protest this decision and see the right one is made, for the sake of the children and the teachers, not to mention the future of the country. These special needs children grow up to become citizens, after all.

Robin Mackay, Rangiora