TEACHERS, TOO, NEED TESTING

As a teacher and mother myself, I disagree with her stance against random
drug testing of our teachers. She wrote, "I am in my 16th year of teaching
here, and I am quite comfortable saying there is no reason to start running
around screaming that the sky is falling."

I am in my 10th year of teaching (at Cape Fear Community College) and I can
attest that there is a reason to run around screaming. It's foolish of Ms.
Shonosky to believe that only this one teacher is doing drugs.

How can she be so naive as to hide behind the 4th amendment? If you work at
Wal-Mart, you have to take a drug test. Why should teachers hold themselves
to a higher standard? Teaching our nation's future is more precious than
merchandise at the local Wal-Mart.

We teachers need to be a person they look to for guidance and inspiration.
In a society that relies on institutions to care for our babies and tend to
the elderly, that tunes out life by tuning into TV, that turns to
litigation for every problem, education is the last great hope for
children. We owe it to them to at least be sober.

Samantha Fey

Wilmington