This is in response to "Stop Moaning'' in today's Royal Gazette . I have one question for you. "Have you ever been a teacher?'' Should you ask me that question, I would tell you "No''. But as the child of a teacher, I believe I am somewhat qualified, from a personal point of view, to challenge some of your short-sighted comments.

First, I would hape that you agree with me that there are bad apples in every profession, even yours.

You are very much preoccupied with the notion that teachers only work 25 hours per week. I would hope that by now, you have heard Mr. Mike Charles' comments concerning "actual teaching time'' as opposed to lesson planning and preparation.

But let me attempt to broaden your point of view and help you to walk in someone else's shoes. Over the years, I have seen my mother make or buy lunches for the children of parents who have been out late the night before and were not bothered to get up and make lunch for them, washing dirty school clothes or gym clothes that consistently return to school dirty, buying school ties for the children who seem to be able to afford the latest haircut trend, but not a school tie. I have seen her become concerned when school shoes are not cleaned, or when a child becomes increasingly unkept. I have seen her up late, perhaps past your bedtime, marking papers, making letters for her bulletin boards etc. I have seen her ask, almost beg, for a sink in her classroom for those especially fun but messy activities in which she would like to have her children participate, to no avail.

I have seen her spend hundreds of her own dollars on her so called "three month vacation'' on supplies for her class that she could not get from the Department of Education. I have seen her sleepless and stressed over her children. I have seen her come home at the end of the day and not even be able to speak to her own children because she needs to have some quiet time of her own after a day spent with other people's children and then receive phone calls, sometimes late night form the parents of those children about forgotten homework and the like.

I have seen her leave home at 8 a.m., not return until 5 p.m. and then go back for a PTA meeting at which maybe half her children's parents will turn up. I have seen her sacrifice her lunch hours (precious lunch hours) for an impromptu meeting with a parent. I have seen the hugs she gives to her children. I have been there on the first day of school when half her class, when asked, said that they did not want to be in her class (she's a "tough'' teacher, you see) and on the last day of school when, with the exception of one or two, they didn't want to leave.

I have been with her at the end of the school to help her pack up her class and at the beginning of the year, to help her set up. Do you have to wash, dust and sweep your own office? I have seen her try to pronounce the new names and adjust to the new personalities every year. I have seen her try to wade through all the problems of the previous night or weekend of these children, trying to refocus their minds before they even open a book! I have seen her coach her children on their manners at lunch, upon entering a room, interrupting a conversation, telling them to say "thank you'' or "please''.

I have seen her telling them to "tie your shoes'', "tuck in your shirt'' etc. Have I even touched on the school work yet? You have the nerve to call teachers self-centred.

I know that the private schools have their problems, but they have an advantage over our public schools. They can choose their students. The public schools must take whatever they get. That means child, parent(s), extended families, child's spiritual life or lack thereof, child's weekends, parent's boyfriend or girlfriend, child's step-families, child's half brother or sister, child's television habits etc.

You missed out a very important link in the chain concerning the failure of our educational system and that is home. I'd love to know what you are doing to aid in solving this problem.

If you want to look at pay, I will say this. If Michael Jordan can make millions of dollars putting a ball through a hoop, teachers will never be paid enough.

I am 34-years-old and have been a PTA President. I have been on the front lines with those few but faithful parents who have demanded better for our schools and will always be available to do so. There are those who have asked me why am I not a teacher, since my mother is a teacher. My response is, "because my mother is a teacher''.

It's very frightening to see what was once a calling, turn into a job. For the born teacher who wouldn't dream of doing anything else, they must ache to see the lack of support that they must endure. If we went to know what the solutions are, we must include our teachers, their silence is deafening.

I would like to ask you "Stop Moaning'', will you come and teach a class for a week? Then I hope you will see how hard teachers have it.

MRS. JANICE BATTERSBEE Sandy's The concept of attitudes November 19, 1999 Dear Sir, Attitudinal change has been a topic of research and debate among educators for a long time. A great deal of literature has been devoted to this subject, and available for perusal. Although I do not have extensive knowledge in this field I must therefore limit my presentation to a few statements for consideration.

To begin, defining the concept of attitudes presents enormous difficulties.

Researchers often talk about organisation, affect, and behaviour as the three components or facets of attitudes. One interesting definition suggests that attitudes are valuations based on beliefs, feelings, and/or past behaviour.

Another definition refers to attitudes as structures in memory.

All current definitions of attitudes refer, in one way or another, to the explicit or implicit beliefs and thoughts, as well as feelings and experiences, that somehow shape our responses to a thing, to a person, to an event, or to an idea. Of course, our thoughts, feelings, and past behaviour are not always consistent with one another. Therefore our attitude towards the same thing changes according to which factor is dominating the others in a given situation. Researchers are aware that attitudes, not being governed merely by cognition, are extremely complex to analyse and change.

A great deal of scientific research will need to be carried out to learn how to help develop desired attitudes in the formation for curricula which will shape the future.

Educators will need to be supportive of the advances which will be made in this direction. We cannot take an approach dominated by a materialistic outlook. Attitudes cannot be understood in terms, other than, the internal pressures of the brain and its interactions with the rest of the universe, which includes our interactions as human beings. Human behaviour is not determined by material conditions and interactions. There are inherent qualities, such as love, justice, truthfulness, generosity, and compassion, the development of which determines, in a most fundamental way, the patterns of thought and action of an individual.

Attempts to change a person's behaviour that pays no attention to these basic spiritual qualities can have partial success at best.

What are some of the feelings and emotions? What are some of the beliefs that contribute to each attitude? What are the spiritual qualities which assist in the development of attitudes? In analysing these questions, a useful list of attitudes and spiritual qualities would become evident, and that there is probably a great deal of ambiguity in defining the concepts. The same word often refers to both a spiritual quality and an attitude, and sometimes it is difficult to decide if something is one or the other. All definitions are only valid for a limited set of purpose.

The purpose of education is to direct creation knowledge into action, along with desire and will empowered for educational objectives, and the interchangeable development of skills and abilities. This must be the concern of educators. The challenges we confront in trying to develop integrated curricula will also be your challenge in your endeavour to design inspired curricula.

Spirituality has to be built into curricula without denying material well-being or relegating prosperity to another life. What has to be done is to elevate everyday activities into a more sublime station by enduing them with the spirit of service humanity. Action, reflection, consultation, will sharpen the objectives, content, methodology, and through a series of approximations, the curricula element gradually approaches, into a well-defined form, after thinking through all the concepts, bits of information, skills, abilities, attitudes and spiritual qualities that contribute to the development of a curricula which becomes a creative process.

This is the development we must seriously approach now, before too many children are lost to the system currently in place. It is my hope that all people in education can assist this process. Without a creative process we will continue to be mired in the continued descent of our educational system, and the behaviours of our children will suffer the consequences of our action, or inaction. We have a choice...Let us make it to ensure our children have a bright and challenging future...the world in theirs to govern. What attitudes do we wish to see in place for our leaders of tomorrow? G.A.S.

St. George's Passport is the problem November 18, 1999 Dear Sir, I am sorry to hear that Mr. Charles Webbe had such a hard time with German immigration. However, the venom displayed by Mr. Webbe saddens me, particularly given his role as a tourism ambassador for Bermuda.

Mr. Webbe's experience is, unfortunately, not unique. The hassle may have less to do with his skin colour than with his Bermuda passport, which is quite unknown in many parts of the world. Like Bermuda, Germany is very wary of possible immigrants seeking to work and live in the country.

Rest assured that I, and other white Bermudians, have endured unsympathetic treatment entering Germany and other countries around the world. It happens - and Mr. Webbe's insulting evocation of Nazism doesn't help.

I hope that the Bermuda Government will continue all efforts to secure UK citizenship for Bermudians. This mark of authority will be of tremendous value to Bermudians wishing to travel and work in the EU and internationally without hassles.

TRAVELLING MAN Warwick