Dear Editor,

I read with great concern Mr Peter Gordon’s letter in the Observer on Monday, “Teachers, use your intelligence”.

After noting the title of the letter and the content, I concluded that he must be a very good teacher since he noted that teachers are not using their intelligence.

Allow me to respond to three points he made: “The government doesn’t have the money and therefore cannot meet the demands of teachers at this time.” Are we talking about the same government that has spent millions on all the redundant commissions of inquiry? Is it the same government dealing with the “civil rights” of Christopher “Dudus” Coke but trampling the human rights of teachers?

Mr Gordon contends that, “One would expect…that at a minimum the capacity of teachers to understand would be superior to those whom they seek to educate.” What is his point here? Isn’t it the teachers’ ability to understand which dictates that they demand what is owed to them? He cannot be saying that because teachers have the ability to understand they should not be asking for what is owed to them. Come on now, Mr Gordon, how does this show a lack of intelligence?

The final point I will seek to have clarified is this: “teachers are not robots and should therefore use their endowment of intelligence to think., inspire, liberate and earn the respect of society.” If this is not fallacious then I don’t know what is a fallacy. I would like to see the intelligent member of any society who thinks it is the respectable thing not to ask for money owed (millions of dollars), especially when it becomes overdue.

I can understand that he is upset about the teachers’ action but I ask that he rethink and possibly restate his argument. It cannot be the teachers whose intelligence is being questioned.

Marjorie Wright

marjoriewrigt@yahoo.com