Can't have it all
I believe that teaching is possibly the most important profession ("UAE school teachers see red over stagnant salaries", Gulf News, May 18). However, at the end of the day it is a profession that comes with up to four months of holidays in a year. If your working output is 30 per cent less than that of other professions, it stands to reason that you should earn considerably less than others currently in the work force. If a teacher wants to earn more money, they should make better use of their time off and take on additional child-related work such as tutoring, camp co-coordinating or childcare. You can't have the best of both worlds unfortunately.
From Mr Mark Coady
Dubai
Surrogate parents
As a US citizen and a former public school teacher, the news of a father being jailed for his daughter's failure in an exam, comes as no surprise ("Jailed dad's freedom tied to test in Ohio," Gulf News, May 18). If you walk into any public school in America, you'll find that many, if not most teachers are frustrated by parents' lack of involvement in their children's day-to-day studies and what goes on in a classroom. Needless to say, this problem exists at a greater capacity when parents of a child are separated or divorced. While there is no clear definition that schools should serve as an extension of the home, America possesses social problems that beckon schools to act as a surrogate in the absence or event that parents are unable to perform the duties themselves.
From Mr David Ribott Bracero
USA
Page last updated 01 January 2020