HSTA DOESN'T SEEM TO VALUE TEACHERS

The Hawaii State Teachers Association doesn't believe that teaching is
an important job, and it doesn't care much about the status of the
profession of teaching. At least, these are my conclusions based on
HSTA's recent objection to random drug testing, to which it agreed a
year ago.

Many people will view HSTA's objection as an attempt to hide something
- -- even though the great majority of teachers have nothing to hide. In
this regard, HSTA is acting like a typical trade union by trying to
protect its most incompetent members.

HSTA might say that teaching is important, but its actions show
otherwise. If HSTA really believes that teaching is important, it
would be doing everything in its power to ensure that teachers are
unimpaired and fully functional while on the job.

Enlightened unions now favor drug testing for their members,
especially in the public safety arena, because they realize that lives
are at stake. In the education arena, the lives of children are at
stake. Apparently, HSTA does not place such a high priority on children.

Teachers once occupied a high status in society. But over the years,
that status has steadily declined. HSTA is making sure that the
decline continues. Teachers deserve better.

John Kawamoto

Honolulu