Pubdate: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 Source: Star-News (NC) Copyright: 2005 Wilmington Morning Star Contact: http://www.wilmingtonstar.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/500 Author: Samantha Fey Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) TEACHERS, TOO, NEED TESTING As a teacher and mother myself, I disagree with her stance against random drug testing of our teachers. She wrote, "I am in my 16th year of teaching here, and I am quite comfortable saying there is no reason to start running around screaming that the sky is falling." I am in my 10th year of teaching (at Cape Fear Community College) and I can attest that there is a reason to run around screaming. It's foolish of Ms. Shonosky to believe that only this one teacher is doing drugs. How can she be so naive as to hide behind the 4th amendment? If you work at Wal-Mart, you have to take a drug test. Why should teachers hold themselves to a higher standard? Teaching our nation's future is more precious than merchandise at the local Wal-Mart. We teachers need to be a person they look to for guidance and inspiration. In a society that relies on institutions to care for our babies and tend to the elderly, that tunes out life by tuning into TV, that turns to litigation for every problem, education is the last great hope for children. We owe it to them to at least be sober. Samantha Fey Wilmington - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom