If C. Micallef (TMID, 10 March) decided to join Maria Caruana of Mosta at trying to have a bash at teachers, it certainly comes as no surprise. Teacher-bashers are, thankfully, so few, that one can remember their surnames.

Once again, all I can say to these characters is: Tough! The gravy train is there – climb on it and then, only then, should you start trying to denigrate the teaching profession.

C. Micallef’s letter, similar to that of Ms Caruana, shows the writer for what he is – unable to make sense and quite unable to discuss the real matters that have to do with education.

For, how can one take this writer seriously, if he compares the student to a mere “product”? Education does not “produce”. Education forms and stimulates. We are not talking about some kind of production-line here, but an attempt at leading, showing the way, enlightening! Today’s and tomorrow’s education, in fact, is all about treating the child under our care as a non-product: the teacher is not there to ensure that a syllabus is covered. On the contrary, according to a particular educational paradigm, the teacher is there to ‘uncover’ that syllabus so that the student in question is able to work on his/her own and arrive at his/her destination with the help of his/her mentor – the teacher!

And where has C. Micallef heard of professionals such as doctors and lawyers entering the teaching profession? Who are those “opting to abandon their careers to become teachers”? Does he think that such professionals are crazy? And does he think you can just enter the teaching profession like that, with no qualifications and warrant?

At the moment of writing this letter, I feel happy. Happy for two reasons – firstly, because the feedback that my school colleagues and I just got from parents’ days was quite positive. Parents in general show that they appreciate the work that we do. And by “work”, I do not merely refer to the academic, the chalk-pushing, the “production” in C. Micallef’s mind. There is much more work that teachers nowadays do with the students under their care.

Secondly, because I feel at one with my senior students, who will soon be leaving school for pastures new. We have our ups and downs, of course: I would wish them to pay more attention in class and to do their assigned work better. However, in general, I was quite happy with them and will certainly miss them when they are gone. And that is saying something!

But what is really the cherry on the cake in C. Micallef’s teacher-bashing is his parting shot – an unwarranted attack on the Education Minister simply because she is or was a teacher. On the contrary, I say: thank God we have an Education Minister who was a teacher!

There is one fly in the ointment: more authoritative voices fail to dedicate time and write in this newspaper to counter the bad breath of C Micallef and Ms Caruana. In such absence, once again, I write to defend what is my own.

Franco Farrugia

Pieta