Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Language of Politics

Last night while I was watching the Magic Box, I came across a news item about the teachers at Church Schools who were marching down the streets of Brisbane, bellowing about their right to have an increase in salary. One of the most raucous shouters was proudly waving his placard while declaiming, " The teachers in every other state get more than us, and we only want a salary like what they get." That should have convinced a few parents of his worth. I feel that such demonstrations might be effective as a last resort, when other means have failed to achieve desired goals, but I have never subscribed to the infantile chanting procedure of negotiation -- "What do we want ? When do we want it ? Now !!" Well, that certainly convinced me.

I would suggest that what the gentleman under discussion may not have wanted, but certainly needed, was to return to school to learn a little more about his own language before being allowed to face a class again. Hopefully, he was not an English Teacher, but the teacher of any subject, no matter how esoteric, should be able to use and teach language as an integral part of his style. After making this fresh acquaintance with the tools of his trade, he might go back to his class and perhaps justify his claim that he was worth $84000 a year !! I know there are great numbers of committed, capable teachers who fully deserve to be paid top salaries for their dedication, and they should receive every encouragement and support to achieve this. So, to them I apologise for my diatribe.

My cavorting mendicant would probably imagine that a diatribe was a group of contestants in "The Biggest Loser".

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