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Wider perspective needed

I read with interest, a letter to the editor in last week’s Observer, entitled “Teachers’ demands unrealistic.”

I read with interest, a letter to the editor in last week’s Observer, entitled “Teachers’ demands unrealistic.”

While I won’t quarrel with the writer’s statistics, I will say that they do not convey the real story about teachers’ wages and do not give an accurate picture of how these wages compare with those of other working professionals of similar educational levels.

I can only surmise that the writer has chosen his statistics with a mind to discrediting the bargaining process for professional educators and indeed, to foster an antagonistic attitude towards an entire group of public service workers.

I did some digging and found out that a starting teacher in School District #83 can expect to receive between $42,802 and $50,488  (the latter being the starting wage for an individual with a asters degree). In fact, to earn the $72,242 quoted by Mr. Sawchuck, a teacher in our district would need a five-year degree and seven years’ experience.

Contrast that with the annual mean salary of $87,000 for a registered pharmacist,  a profession which also requires five years of university education.

According to the latest statistics, a newly-graduated registered nurse in B.C. can expect a starting wage of $50,569, for full-time employment – not including any overtime wages which might be accrued.  Nursing, too, has similar educational requirements as teachers and pharmacists.

My point is not to single out any specific occupations.  No, my point is to show how, by quoting numbers, one can either show support for or, conversely, negate the hard work of others.

My oldest son is a new teacher in Victoria, and I am proud to say that he is one among many, who gives his all to his students. There are countless others like him.

Let’s not engage in bashing any one employee group without looking a little deeper into the requirements, duties and stresses of its individuals.

 

 

Linda M. Grant