Education problems
Frustrated by the amount of coverage given to Jay Bennish, a social studies teacher who used his position in an unbalanced and unprofessional manner, I hope that The Post and other news outlets will focus on the big issues in our schools.
For example, in Denver Public Schools, both middle and high schools are making extreme cuts to elective classes and critical services like counselors and librarians. This is being driven by No Child Left Behind and the Denver Plan. What price are we willing to pay to attempt to raise test scores by a couple of points? Many students realize their careers and passions for learning through electives. Struggling students will have a seperate educational system, but it will not be equal.
We need to educate the whole child. We need smaller class sizes for struggling students, not more time spent on the same strategies that have not worked well in the past. We need people to think outside the box, and come up with solutions rather than punitive measures.
Kevin Yelenik, Denver
The writer is a member of the Denver Classroom Teachers Assocation board of directors.
Does racism cause minorities to fail in school?
Re: “Racism in U.S. education system,” March 1 Ruben Navarrette Jr. column.
Ruben Navarrette Jr. blames racism for the ever-increasing opposition of parents, teachers and the tax-paying public to No Child Left Behind. But most people oppose NCLB because they are alarmed about how it is affecting their schools, their children and their pocketbooks.
Parents object because they no longer want their children subjected to the pressure of high-stakes testing and to the many hours of class time devoted to test-taking preparation. Teachers object, not because they are guilty of what Bush calls the “soft bigotry of low expectations,” but because they do indeed have high expectations for their students. Many long for the freedom they once had to create challenging and enriching learning environments. The tax-paying public objects because NCLB is not as cost-effective as other types of reform. Many would rather have their money spent on hiring and keeping the best and the brightest teachers, on lowering class size, on providing up-to-date materials, and on maintaining safe buildings conducive to learning.
Patricia Richard-Amato, Woodland Park
…
The accusation that minority students fail because of racist teachers is absurd. Who does Ruben Navarrette Jr. blame for academic failure when the children and teachers are all of the same race?
I attended grades 1-8 in a small, all-white public school. The teaching quality ran the gamut from inadequate to excellent, but every single child heard the same lesson, had access to the same books, was assigned the same homework, and took the same tests. Some children excelled, most performed somewhere in the middle, and every year several kids failed and had to repeat the grade.
Students who do poorly in school have their own unique reasons for doing so, and in the vast majority of cases, having a racist teacher is the very least of their problems.
Kerry Hyde, Denver
Bush’s ignoring of New Orleans warnings
Re: “Bush got dire Katrina warning,” March 2 news story.
Not only did President Bush fail in his leadership role to protect the citizens of New Orleans, he has continued through evasiveness and falsehoods to disrespect and mislead the American public. Unfortunately, this is symptomatic of the current administration – whether it relates to unnecessary making of war, unconstitutional expansion of executive powers, devastating economic policies that benefit barons of the corporate world and punish the middle class and future generations, shameful foreign policies and criminal detention/torture practices, or just simple corruption and incompetency.
To the extent that your organization purports to convey objective news and information via honored traditions of journalism and a functional free press, it is incumbent upon you and your staff to report on President Bush’s gravest errors and most serious lies, such as his mean-spirited, self-protective responses regarding the Katrina disaster.
Hal C. Lewis, Denver
Idea: Cellphone lanes
Re: “A teen’s penance,” March 2 news story.
Instead of HOV lanes, how about cellphone lanes for those drivers – and they are legion – who still persist in chatting or texting instead of paying attention to the road. Cellphone lanes would give the rest of us a fighting chance when sharing the daily commute with those who find constant “communication” so necessary. Patrick Sims admitted in a Denver Post interview that he cannot remember the text message he was responding to when he struck and killed a bicyclist in Highlands Ranch, but it seemed important to him at the time. I suspect the same is true of most phone conversations engaged in while driving. Convenience and necessity are not the same thing.
Gayle Ray, Littleton
God, religion and man
Re: “Religion, war and the popularity of atheism,” March 1 Open Forum.
Letter-writer Brian LeFevre professes himself an atheist. He cites numerous examples of violence and mayhem in every part of the world, all in the name of God and religion, and unfortunately this has been the case. But why in the world would the existence of God hinge on anything that men do with their own free will?
Kathy Cain, Yampa
Porn industry and local sex convention
Re: “Porn star beating on dollars’ door,” Feb. 24 Al Lewis column.
I was incensed to see that Al Lewis gave so much attention and space to a woman whose objective is to flaunt herself in front of people who usually lack depth and moral values. Also, I could not help but find Shayla LaVeaux’s mother’s reaction most interesting when she discovered what type of work her daughter is involved in. Being a banker, her mother understands numbers, so she is impressed with the amount of money her daughter now makes. She says: “You’re very successful in what you do. How could I knock that?” Whoa, what a mom – emphasizing material values over moral.
Not to speak of our beautiful, newly remodeled convention center’s decision to hold a porn convention. Of course, it’s all about the mighty dollar, no matter what type of degrading business participates. Not to mention the fact that now people are made aware through the intense coverage given by newspapers, billboards, etc., that this type of thing is available on their “doorstep.”
Lewis could better spend his time and efforts exposing this type of filth. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see a venue of “Love is So Much More than Sex,” for example, instead of “Sex and So Much More,” the name of the convention?
Anita Alexander, Denver
Sentence for dummy in the HOV lane
Re: “Judge deals HOV-lane scofflaw a dose of indignity,” March 3 news story.
As if police don’t already cause enough traffic jams with their ill- timed speed traps during rush hour, now a judge orders a citizen, accompanied by police, to stand amid rush-hour traffic to display a sign against driving unlawfully in the HOV lane. That’s just ludicrous. No one in his right mind would sentence a person to stand on the edge of a highway, an extremely busy one at that; it’s not safe. Moreover, the gawking that will occur as a result of this heinous sentence will only result in more traffic congestion and possibly accidents. This man was cited for a simple traffic violation. He should not be subjected to such dangerous circumstances.
Cathleen Cooper, Aurora
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