Surrey - The Editor, Re: "Consult parents on costly trips," the Now, Jan. 30.
While I agree that a $3,000 field trip may be a financial burden to some families, why should other students miss out on the opportunity? The trip could also be an opportunity for kids to pay some of it on their own by getting a job, or working an extra shift a week for the next year. This would provide an invaluable lesson on how to budget and pay their share of extra expenses in life, thereby teaching students about financial accountability.I think if the band teacher had petitioned the parents in advance, many parents would object due to financial hardships rather than show an appreciation for this teacher's hard work and dedication to provide extraordinary experiences for the youth in the band program.As someone who works in education and does not have unlimited financial resources, I can empathize with columnist Harvinder Sandhu's position, but I would be grateful for the opportunity that this teacher is providing.And, like Sandhu, I would work with my child to find a mutually agreeable solution that creates a win-win learning opportunity for my child, where decisions are made so all involved can be happy with the outcome (I do like your idea that your child pays for two-thirds of the trip).I would suggest to you, as a parent, that rather than writing about this issue and risk alienating this teacher, in the future perhaps consider using your editorial space to help with fundraising opportunities or to highlight the hard work of teachers who provide extraordinary opportunities such as these to your child.Heather Davidson,Surrey