Many of the seniors I know are actively involved in clubs, groups, volunteering and all the things they couldn't do while they worked and raised their unappreciative children. Give us a break!
Kathy Dawson
Tauranga
Sympathy for teachers
I do sympathise with teachers in their current situation. They are probably a little underpaid. The extra burdens placed on them certainly warrant a lot more recognition.
Their plight is symptomatic of a deteriorating dysfunctional society. Things have changed dramatically for teachers over the years.
There was a time when teachers and parents supported each other to instil common values and standards in their charges. Now, if a pupil has the slightest complaint, his or her teacher is instantly in the firing line, usually from the parents.
There was a time when teachers had the freedom and authority to exercise some discipline over their students to make sure the learning environment was controlled. This gave every student the best chance to maximise learning opportunities.
Now it is teachers who are being kept under control as they are scrutinised and micro-managed every step of the way.
There was a time when children with disabilities were diverted into classes managed by specially trained teachers in order to avoid disruption for "normal" students.
Now teachers are expected to be counsellors and mediators to students with a huge range of different behaviours and personalities. This comes on top of their normal tasks.
What is expected of teachers has far surpassed the normal job of imparting knowledge and skills and imbuing youngsters with confidence and good character.
Ian Young
Papamoa Beach
Transport suggestions
Having recently visited some European cities, in every case the bus, tram or subway service was located close to or in the train station. This is very convenient as you often have to transfer to another form of transport to get to your location.
If I was a planner (long term) of Tauranga's CBD, I would dump the idea of making the waterfront reclamation parking area into a waterfront park. Making it into a park is trying to do the impossible and compete with the world-class Mauo and Mount beach.
As the train service runs through the existing reclamation, it's logical to make this area, in the future, into a transport hub for ferries, trains and the nearby buses. This would also have the added benefits of drawing more people into the CBD.
A park proposal could be to link Memorial Park by cycle and walkway (as currently proposed) to the existing recreation area at Cliff Rd, thereby linking the Monmouth Redoubt to the Otamataha Pa and Tauranga Mission Cemetery.
A better museum site than Cliff Rd site, in terms of parking and lack of traffic disturbance, would be the existing Cargo Shed in Dive Crescent. Although a drab building, it at least is historic. This could be modified and extended to house the museum, with the added bonus of being able to add a maritime element to it.
Geoff Shearman
Mt Eden
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