Tarring all teachers with same brush is mean spirited

I AM obliged to respond to Cedric February’s letter “Teachers were paid in full for not working, yet still demand increase”.

It is an emotionally loaded article (not likely reflecting a positive school experience), and full of inaccurate and crass generalisations.

First, the “two month holiday” was imposed by the state in response to Covid – not of the teachers’ choosing.

Second, it is all public sector unions (Referred to by JM Bouvier in “Open your Eyes” December 4 and “Wages battle to intensify” Cape Argus Monday, November 30) that are fighting the state to get increases.

I am not even aware that teacher unions are involved besides Sadtu.

Why does C February not pick on the City of Cape Town, where many services have still not resumed and not all workers have returned to full-time work?

I don’t have an issue with unions being challenged by austerity measures – I do resent all teachers being tarred with the same brush.

Third, the generalisation of his experience or assumptions about teachers is used to describe all teachers.

During 40 years in education, teaching and as an WCED official, I encountered some lazy, entitled, demotivated people in teaching posts.

However, I had more experience of dedicated, committed, passionately caring and professional teachers, who sacrifice time and energy that far outstrips the salary they earn.

Fourth, Mr February deemed it unfair that teachers were paid during lockdown.

My wife, and friends in teaching, worked flat out (no exaggeration) day and night, during lockdown: preparing lessons and materials that were sent electronically. By trial and error they self-taught and mastered novel online technology (incl. video recording lessons), and had countless online meetings with groups of learners, parents, colleagues.

Some may claim that electronic teaching was only available to privileged schools, which is only partly true.

Most parents have access to a cellphone, so many teachers and schools in poor areas used WhatsApp for conveying lessons materials, and/or provided hard copy when they were feeding their learners (and families) during lockdown, more often at their own cost, which is not in their JD.

Mr February states “I find it baffling, to say the least, that teachers can have this characteristic called entitlement”.

A characteristic is a feature or quality belonging typically to a person and serving to identify them. Really?

Entitlement, in my view, is something that is inculcated – see below.

Not all teachers want to “bleed the country dry with their audacious demands”.

(We all know who did that!) They just want fairness and they don’t go out on to the streets and cause destruction when their demands are not met.

There is no shame, which Mr February accuses teachers of, in expecting a fair and decent salary.

Furthermore, I am not aware of teachers wanting “preferential treatment”.

The ills of this country referenced (poverty, unemployment, the state of the economy, state debt) are not the result of teachers salaries, nor will it be addressed by them not receiving increases.

These ills are the result of a government that is incapable of addressing corruption and governing effectively, for eg, the failing municipalities all over the country.

Rather than addressing the ills, the ANC deflects to the legacy of apartheid and white privilege (both admittedly contributing factors).

This is where the genesis of entitlement lies and which permeates much of the ANC’s voting base, which includes Sadtu – who often place obstacles in the way of education department initiatives to improve the quality of teaching at schools.

I believe, that it is not teachers who must come to their senses and be reasonable – but Cedric February.

BRAD BAILEY | Hout Bay