CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag Four-day week won’t work Dear Sir: I have been a teacher for 30 years, mast of them as an employee of the Terrace school district. During this time it has been my privilege to teach many very fine students at Skeena and Caledonia secondary schools... I have taken pleasure in seeing students go on to be- come good citizens who have enriched our community and our country with their skills and their interests. In light of my years of teaching experience I find the recent decision of the Coast Mountain school board:to implement. a. four-day week next September. absolutely: appalling. -From first hand experience I know that learning is - hard work, that it takes effort and commitment. Course material takes time to assimilate; there is no short cut by which learning can be accelerated. Whereas the board’s four-day week would not change the hours of instruction, it will resutt in a very significant ~ loss in real learning time for our ‘students because only — so.much can be accomplished in one day or one class periods without overloading a student’s ability to com- - prehend all the new material being presented to them, ‘At-the end of our present school days, the serious and - », committed students that I teach are tired from their ef- forts. A longer school day will not help these students, nor will it be of benefit to children in elementary. schools. Already, many students at Caledonia begin school at 7:30-a.m. and end at 5 p.m. or later in music, production, and extra curricular sports programs. What will happen to these programs on a four-day week? --It.is clear to me that any monetary savings from the four-day week will come at the expense of student. learn- - ing and well-being. It is also clear that the workers in the school system who will bear the brunt of the savings are "the least paid: our custodians and bus drivers. - As well, our community will pay so that the school district can save money. We already pay school taxes: now, in addition there will be child care expenses for every Friday throughout the school year. » ~~. ] know that the school board is in a difficult position ~in-dealing with a provincial government that seems: in- More land for mining freed up TWS RECREATION areas in the Dease Lake area are being declassified to make _ way for increased mineral exploration and logging. The 19,000ha Stikine River recreation area and the. 3,350ha_ recreation area at: Mount Edziza are among four recreation areas totalling 55,000 ha that will be redesignated open Crown land. Both were left over from larger areas that have been made formal provin- cial parks.as part of the land-use plan for that area. * Energy and mines. mini-. ster Richard Neufeld Said The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 2, 2003 - A7 the move is to complete a decision made by the pre- vious NDP government but . tever finalized. The previous govern- ment had decided to te- classify the areas, but had never passed the necessary orders, Neufeld said. “These 55,000 hectares were not designated park or conservation areas, and this simple housecleaning measure was needed to clarify their status,” he said. Mineral claim staking was also allowed in re- creation areas, but was more restricted, for less... -Leg of Pork Roast ’ Boneless, Butt, Centre Cut or Shank Portion, Fresh, Product of Canada, 4 39/kg 952366 tent on destroying our public education system. Never-: theless, [ feel that the school board has let us all down - students, parents, teachers, and citizens — in not stand- ing up for quality education and opportunity for the stu-, dents of this district. ; The board and its administrative employees can pre- lend that a four-day week and its consequences will have wonderful benefits for our students. I totally dis- agree with their assessment. ae Allen C. Wootton, Terrace, B.C. Students will suffer An open letter to: Coast Mountains School District Cauliflower “No.1 Grade, U.S, Grown, oe 15 2/kg aoss22 Black Grapes "- . Seedless, No.1 Grade, - Chilean Grown, 2,18/kg 45662-3 Dear Board Members: 2 As a parent of two primary school children I wish to’ express my concerns about how the budget cuts will af: fect schoal hours and peoples’ lives. -. wo _- At'the present my boys are up at’ 6/30 am ‘to catch a “bus from Lakelse Lake at 7:36, a.m. arriving ‘at the ~ school for class at 8:45 a.m. After school at 3. p.m. they . catch the bus home, arriving at 4:30 p.m. This leaves: them three hours to do homework, eat supper and inter- act'with family before they go to bed at 7:30 p.m. to get ; their required rest. If they were to attend school from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. «they would have to be up at 5:30 a.m. and in bed by 6:30 p-m., leaving. them one hour for homework, supper-and family interaction. ‘Should they be unable to get their required sleep, they: would be tired all day at school and with a lack of attention, causing their grades to fall, This is what my. family would have to experience. What about children that have longer travel distances, such as Rosswood? What about children that have learning disabilities _. and short: attention spans that cannot sit in a classroom > for eight hours? wf ‘have spoken to a teacher about this. She said they : have a hard enough time at present keeping all. the: children’s attention. about It breaks my heart to think “What the teachers will basically children that have |. ine children’s parents. I learning disabili- am 4 single . parent that. ties and short at- wants to spend as much tention spans that cannot sit in a time with my children. as possible while they are still young. ciao oone for This is a pathetic way of . egal nours: saving money. I will never see my children, nor will. they have time to learn what a family is, Who gives you the right to interfere with my life, creating stress and concern for my child- ten’s future well being, by taking my parenting rights away? 7 My father and many other Canadians have given all 2... or part of their lives to prevent us from living in. a-com-,.’.; munistic society. It appears we are heading in that direc- tian. -f am not the only one concerned. In listening and - . reading, it appears to me that a greater portion of the po-.. pulation in Terrace and area is very concerned as well. Please for ail concerned, please think more about — what you are about to do. | am sure you can come up with a better way to save money! Lisa Gendron, Terrace. 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