If you read something today … thank a teacher

By MPP Toby Barrett

To The Haldimand Press

Many are familiar with the catchphrase, “If you ate today…thank a farmer.”

As a former teacher, a member of several generations of farmers and teachers, and a great believer in teachers and the job they do, I’d like to state, “If you read today, thank a teacher,” or for that matter, if you wrote something or did some calculations.

Being a farmer, you might think that I am over the top asking for thanks on two fronts. Farmers work hard, but I also want to state unequivocally that I appreciate how hard Ontario’s teachers work to educate young people — something teachers have been doing even before the days of Egerton Ryerson, a local boy also known as the Father of Education in the Province of Ontario. Because we have been taught how to read, write, and calculate numerical problems, I think everyone can thank a teacher.

Our plan, “Education that Works for You”, is working to create an environment conducive to both teaching, and learning. Plus, teachers, parents, students, and employers can rest assured that what is being taught will help to produce a bumper crop of young people fully-prepared for challenging and fruitful careers.