Teachers at work

There isn't a chance in the world that I am going to stop and discuss the so-called "benefits" of the teaching profession with people of Charles Camilleri's ilk. The Times went through discussions like this in its opinion pages years ago!

But I wonder why Mr Camilleri, who seems to be under the effect of some chip on his shoulder, never bothered to join the teaching profession himself if he is so well-versed in and impressed by the "benefits" that we teachers enjoy.

Tami Mifsud's letter (April 30) was interesting but some points have to be clarified.

First of all, the "pushing chalk" thing is nothing but an idiomatic expression - I am shocked that Ms Mifsud chose to understand it literally!

Any teacher would have understood its meaning - which brings me to my second point: only teachers like myself would know what it already means, being in the best years of your life yet already feeling the stress of the students in your class. How can any teacher refrain from wondering what will it be like when s/he is over 55 years of age? Or 60? Or, God forbid, at 65? I hope Ms Mifsud is a teacher herself and is familiar with the trials and tribulations of teaching before she decided to put pen to paper.

In her letter, she did not use any arguments to counter my original message: that is, that teachers should be given the possibility of not continuing teaching in class after the age of, say, 61. In fact, the contents of her contribution simply had nothing to do with mine.

Ms Mifsud's letter was simply an uncalled for attack on younger generation teachers - a letter full of generalisations which certainly do not do her honour as a "school administrator" (whatever that entails: Is she a teacher? A headmistress? An owner of a private/independent school?) and one whose main task it is to foster cooperation with all her staff members. When I was reading her contribution I supposed she was talking about her own experience. Yet, at the same breath, Ms Mifsud claims that "her" teachers are "professional". Ambiguous.

There is no need for me to go to Ms Mifsud's school to "see professionals at work". I am surrounded by my own colleagues every day, thank you.