The majority of our teachers are undoubtedly genuine people with the interests of their pupils at heart. They would not be in the job otherwise.
However the teacher unions and other organisations seem to have been taken over by people whose motives are not always clear.
Lately we have seen vulnerable, easily-led children being used by some teachers for the teachers' own aims. I refer to the occasion when children were organised to near-violent street protests, and where a class of eight-year olds was led to write politically motivated letters.
Such actions where trusted teachers use children for their own ends is unprecedented in this country although Hitler, and other dictators used impressionable young people to gain control of their countries.
Political pressure in a democracy is wielded via the ballot box, and not by physical protests by young people who have no real appreciation of the matters involved.

John Mills, Mt. Maunganui.