FAILURE TO PRINT THIS LETTER ILLUSTRATES THE BOYCOTT THE MEDIA HAVE ON ANYTHING WITH MY NAME

December 12,2017

TO: Letter to the Editor

Ottawa Sun

ottsun.city @sunmedia.ca

FROM: Roger Callow

Ottawa K1V 9A7

t. 613-521-1739

e-mail: thecallows@gmail.com

Dear Editor;

The Fraser Institute with Peter Crowley heading up their performance studies must be jumping for joy every time columnist and long-time union hater, Sue-Ann Levy, is appointed to review their educational efforts: 'Teacher unions try everywhere to stop standardized testing' (O.S. December 10, p.4) She quotes Peter Crowley claiming that 'the "fly in the ointment" in every province has been the teachers' unions'.

Setting aside the merits of any discussion on the educational issues included in this column, the bottom political line of the Fraser Institute is to promote charter schools which abound in the United States as a cost saving measure. Alberta is about to get a first-hand experience on this level if the Tories win the next provincial election.

As one who has enjoined U.S. teachers on this topic while cruising the Caribbean, the topic amounts to this: the U.S. has the very best of schools with only well-paid teachers of advanced qualifications hired in wealthy areas leaving their poverty stricken rural cousins to hire just about anyone. One small girl epitomized the story at President Obama's inauguration in 2008 by asking..."How do I get into a good school?"

As a long time Supply Teacher in Ottawa/Carleton retiring in 2004, I covered almost all secondary schools in which I can vouch for all of them being good on the basis that only qualified teachers are hired. Of course a vocational school is not likely to perform on the same academic level as one focused on academics; but then the latter students would be hard pressed to wield a welding torch. (Yes, as a Supply Teacher, I was qualified in both areas.)

Roger Callow

DECEMBER 20-2017 I wrote the Letter to the Editor appearing in today's O.S. to prove to certain columnists that a boycott was attached to anything appearing under my name. (SEE BOYCOTT-2018 for full account). These columnists are understandably upset that the Justice System has collapsed - and on their watch...it doesn't get any worse than that. The edited Letter was labeled Teacher Trouble while Media Trouble would have been a more appropriate caption with this editor follow-up which the O.S. does on all their letters: If teachers can afford Carribean (sic) cruises, it's time to change careers! It is clear that we took these cruises in retirement but this nouveau riche attitude was common in West Vancouver which at one time in this sorry story advertised themselves as 'the richest community in Canada'...there goes the neighborhood.... (In west Point Grey, if we had a favourite fishing pool, we told no-one while the nouveau riche told 'only their closest friends'. Did we fret about our friends in Point Grey? Heavens no, we had far too many problems with family to ever worry about who our friends were!) Having to see one of their pet writers 'dissed' in public must have hurt but the pressure is building on Canada's 'Berlin Wall'. The 'hate' label on writer Sue Ann Levy does not come from the above letter; rather it was from her pursuit of the political goals of Unions on Labour Day, September 01-2017 in a review article. While the Unions loom large on Labour Day, all employees are represented and, as such, I wrote the O.S. criticizing the editor for permitting her perverted column to be printed. Of course, that letter never saw the light of day.