Supporting our teachers

May 20, 2004

Dear Sir,

Please allow me the use of your column to address the most recent teacher's industrial action. I am a parent of two children in the Government system and my best friend is a teacher in the public system.

Some people may see it as the teachers holding the education system hostage with their present industrial action, but I see it to the contrary. I feel it is the Ministry of Education who is in fact holding our children hostage with their shenanigans.

The Ministry of Education was bounded to adhere to the rulings of the arbitration. They have disobeyed that. While I am concerned about how this impacts on my two children, it behoves me how the Ministry of Education continues to disrespect the very people we entrust to take care of our children. What is also pathetic is that these people are former teachers. I ask where is their integrity?

As I have said my best friend is a teacher and I see how hard she works. Teachers should be compensated for what they do which in my opinion is immeasurable. The Ministry of Education knows this. It is no wonder there is such great flight out of the public system. You can't blame parents. If I had the money my children would be gone also. The Ministry of Education's continued disrespect of their teachers makes the public education system very unstable.

I hope there are more parents out there who are astute enough to see who the real problem is. Teachers have so much to put up with. I understand that and I am not even a teacher. As a parent, I let my children's teachers know I appreciate their hard work.

Hopefully, this situation will be resolved and our children can return to their original schedules. It is despicable how they have to suffer over something that should be a given. I support the teachers 100 percent. They deserve it and they deserve our support and respect.

Praising Dr. Vallis

May 19, 2004

Dear Sir,

I would like to respond to the article in today's with regard a cancer patient receiving medical attention by both former Dr. Jonathan Murray and currently by Dr. Robert Vallis.

I totally disagree with the lady's angry comments with regard Dr. Vallis as I, too, am a recovering cancer patient under the care of Dr. Vallis and also a past patient of Dr. Murray in Dr. Vallis' short absence from practice.

I am extremely comfortable and pleased with Dr. Vallis under his care and, with his expertise and gentle nature, he, in my opinion, is one of our stars in the medical field in Bermuda. I will also mention that he is well known to specialists at Mass. General Hospital in Boston where I was initially treated for ten-and-a-half weeks in 1993 and his work was highly regarded by them.

Price wise, he is no different from any other specialist both locally and overseas.

I find the lady's comments about Dr. Vallis very uncalled for, damaging and nasty and, in my view, an apology to Dr. Vallis is definitely warranted.

Take this job and ...

May 13, 2004

Dear Sir,

While visiting friends over the weekend I had to chuckle in disgust when we were reading the newspapers and had a look at the classified ads. There were a couple of adverts seeking a Live-in Caregiver/Cook/Housekeeper. Although each advert was somewhat different, what boggled me were the extensive and diversified responsibilities expected of the successful recipient.

For example, one advert states that the duties of the employee will include, but not be limited to, acting as a Live-in Caregiver, Cook and Housekeeper and shall include all housework, cleaning, laundry, shopping and meal preparation. Another advert stated that the successful employee should also be familiar with care of household pets. Yet another required the person to take the children to school and retrieve them at the end of the day. Still another advert suggested that the person must be a trustworthy, energetic, responsible and nurturing individual. In addition to all of this, the applicant must be a non-smoker, be willing to work late nights and weekends, or to be on-call 24 hours a day.

Even in the days of slavery, each of these tasks were assigned to particular individuals ? often with severe consequences if offenders were to be caught in an area of the household which was outside of their 'expertise'. It seems as if the successful applicant in these situations would have to be a better wife, mother, friend and confidant than the 'lady of the house'.

In any case, I realised that I know the individual who is more than capable to do any of these jobs. She has all of the qualifications required and plenty of years of experience to boot. I've decided to clip and send these adverts to my mother, even if is means that our family would never see her and she wouldn't be able to attend to any of our family gatherings or events ? she'd be entirely too tired ? but at least she would be busy and, I assume, making LOADS of money.

PERPLEXED

Wonderful column

May 19, 2004

Dear Sir,

Please allow me this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks and profound appreciation to Mrs. Cynthia Richards-DeSilva, for sharing her wealth of medical experience with us, the general public through her column 'Health Watch', which appears every Friday in the Mid-Ocean News.

Thanks again, my friend, for your wonderful contribution toward mankind. May God continue to bless you Cynthia.

LOUISE

Somerset

Wonderful column

May 19, 2004

Dear Sir,

Please allow me this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks and profound appreciation to Mrs. Cynthia Richards-DeSilva, for sharing her wealth of medical experience with us, the general public through her column 'Health Watch', which appears every Friday in the Mid-Ocean News.

Thanks again, my friend, for your wonderful contribution toward mankind. May God continue to bless you Cynthia.