The teacher’s strike has really annoyed me.   Did they really think they could make any friends by striking at a time when our economy is struggling to recover?  Teachers, Police and Nurses are a few key jobs in our community who have had little  fear of losing their jobs through the recession.   And yet the teachers union is hell-bent at this time trying to gain better conditions for their teachers.  I just don’t get it!  Has the union been out of the country in the last 2 years?  Where do they think the money is going to come from for an increase in pay and better conditions?  Many of the children’s parents who are being affected will have lost their jobs or had reduced work hours/days put upon them.   How does the union expect those parents to understand and be tolerant?

Yes Teachers do need to be looked after and given great conditions and much progress has been made toward this in the past few years.  I am very willing for more of my taxes to go toward teachers on the proviso that they are happy to be assessed regularly to ascertain that they are fit to teach our children.  Bring on a proper performance management system in our schools I say and then lets really reward those teachers who love what they do, truly believe they are there to serve and educate our children and who willingly give 110%.