Tonight at eight o'clock, the number of people protesting teachers' fight against the government was almost twice as high as the number of people supporting teachers. When I e-mailed my family to encourage them to do what's best for them, I asked the empty space around me, 'How the ... did we get here?'
How did we get here - is the kind of question estranged couples ask each other; it's a question parents ask themselves when something goes horribly wrong with their child. I remember many Iranians asking this exact question when, more than thirty years ago, the Islamic Revolution overthrew the monarchy.
Do you ever ask yourself why we are so despised? Do you ever ask yourself who poisoned public's mind against us? I'm sure it didn't happen overnight, as neither do revolutions or delinquents. Did we pull too hard, or didn't we push hard enough? Did we care too little, or did we give too much? Where did we go wrong? Too many C's not enough A's, or vice versa? Whose feelings did we hurt in the summertime? Whom did we offend in the wintertime? Didn't we turn the wheels of economy hard enough by travelling high season? Or perhaps, we didn't take enough courses to further enrich the universities. Is't our pension plan that's making everyone envious? Perhaps people resent our hefty monthly deductions or high tax bracket. Surely we are not being punished for our good looks, reverent status or popularity!
What a tall order, expecting students to listen to and respect their teachers! Whose example they are to follow? How cruel to insist a bunch of deprived, abused people promote freedom, justice and democracy in their classroom. What a mockery, insisting underdogs instil character values in their pupils!
If Bill 115 and I end up living under the same roof, I will give my students permission to ridicule me every time I talk 'big' or teach anti-bullying lessons.
Bill 115 wouldn't have been conceived in a society that respected its teachers.
If teachers' life and job evoke such bitter indignation, it can only mean that our society is improvised and unhappy - accepted and filed!
What have you accepted and filed today?
What have you accepted and filed today?
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