Spokesperson: The claim by the minister of education that teachers' attitudes are causing a decline in student performance is belied by events at any meeting of our Teachers Association  The workshops at these meetings are filled with teachers struggling to find new ways to teach their students
No one, not even a very unsympathetic observer, could detect any negative attitudes toward students
The argument takes for granted that only when teachers' attitudes toward students are negative will those attitudes cause a decline in student performance.