Paraprofessionals and the No Child law
Re: “No Child act and kinder- garten teacher,” June 19 Open Forum.
Perhaps letter-writer Sean Wehrman should re-read Carman’s column regarding Lydia Leal. Leal is not a kindergarten teacher, but a paraprofessional. It is not her job to teach the children; her job is to write lesson plans, conduct classroom lessons and evaluate assessments. Leal’s job, and the job of all paraprofessionals, is to provide support in the classroom, not only on the instruction but behavior, structure and management of the classroom.
I have worked both as a paraprofessional and now as a classroom teacher, and their work is vital. They can provide one-on-one tutoring for students struggling with assignments, deal with behavior issues that often arise in classrooms, and can be a vital mouthpiece between teachers and parents.
Mr. Wehrman uses the example of doctors not passing their board exams. But does it make sense to require nurses to go to medical school to learn brain surgery, even though they will never be required to perform these tasks in their job?
That is the absurdity of the new No Child Left Behind laws that Carman emphasized.
Sam Witter, Denver
Should Columbine killers’ tape be released?
Re: “Free speech in the age of Columbine,” June 21 Jim Spencer column.
I believe that releasing the Columbine videotapes and widely disseminating them would do more good than harm. As you say, today’s kids are much more aware of their peers’ “weird behavior.” A good look at Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris would refine that awareness and help identify “normal-looking maniacs” more reliably.
I also believe that kids – even the most desperate ones – will reject evil when they see it. It’s one thing to fantasize about plotting a school massacre. It’s quite another to see someone “just like yourself” actually doing it in cold blood. Even depressed, bullied, fearful kids will look at Klebold and Harris and say, “No, that’s not me.”
We adults have, indeed, lost faith in our children. Our reactions to Columbine have created all of the successful and unsuccessful copycats. Immediately after Columbine, a nationwide pogrom targeted the misfits, loners and trench coat wearers. We now treat every kid as a suspected homicidal maniac.
Ironically, it’s the same scholars who swear that children live up or down to whatever expectations are made of them who most strongly project the expectation of violence upon children.
The facts about Columbine created no new monsters. Adult fantasies did.
David Hakala, Denver
Holtzman’s fight to stay on primary ballot
Re: “Holtzman stung by another ruling,” June 18 news article.
Marc Holtzman has lost his credibility as a conservative Republican with his efforts to have the courts legislate from the bench. The state of Colorado has laws that clearly outline the regulations and procedures for potential candidates. The current election law does not benefit Holtzman, and he is hoping that an activist judge will sidestep the laws established by our legislation. Many, including myself, would agree that the regulation requiring signatures from Colorado’s districts should be modified to reflect the recent changes in balloting, but the task of changing the regulation has been assigned in the Constitution to the legislature and not the courts. Holtzman’s actions are reflecting liberal tendencies, not Republican values, which stand for clear separation of powers. Legislating from the bench should be left to the liberals, and Holtzman should stop his legal activities or leave the Republican Party.
J. Scott Lewis, Fort Collins
Soldiers killed in Iraq
The choice of words is important in the propaganda war that has become American politics. This is illustrated by the tragic story of the two soldiers captured and subsequently murdered in Iraq recently. They were captured, not “kidnapped,” as some media insisted. This is a war, isn’t it? In war, troops get captured. “Kidnapped” sounds like they were babies snatched from their cradles.
I don’t know if there was a motive for this poor choice of words. “Kidnapped” might serve to demonize the enemy, and “captured” might sound embarrassing to the military. I just wish the media would tell the story straight.
Fred Koster, Nederland
Sculptor killed by art
Re: “Sculptor killed by artwork for DIA,” June 15 news story.
Jeez, an artist being killed accidently by his own sculpture? Maybe the work shouldn’t be completed. The red-eyed mustang model is sure to turn off tourists at Denver International Airport. Did someone bother to check the mock-up and DIA layout to discuss cultural norms?
The MGM hotel entrance at the corner of Tropicana and the Las Vegas strip had to be changed when Asian tourists refused to enter through the mouth of the lion. And maybe the development of LCD displays instead of the red LEDs was propelled by a feng shui admonition against red-lighted displays.
The delays and the unfortunate accident may be a message, providing an opportunity to rethink the project. I would like to think that any public works project wouldn’t greet us with a malevolent stare. However, if completed, I expect some future generation could wind up decorating it in ersatz jubilee.
Noriko Low, Mountain View, Calif.
Cost of PERA mailings
Colorado’s Public Employee Retirement Association sends a lot of information through the mail, including periodic account statements, newsletters and ballots sent out last month for election of trustees. I don’t know what bulk postage rates are for mailings of such size, but if PERA has 380,000 members and they all receive these mailings, is it worth considering switching over to electronic correspondence?
David Bird, Golden
What would Franklin think of U.S. economy?
The year 2006 marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Ben Franklin, one of the most revered of our Founding Fathers.
The country has seen fit to put Ben’s picture on the $100 bill, which is widely circulated throughout the world. If Ben were alive today, I would venture to guess that he would be appalled at having his image associated with an economic system that is totally out of control.
The U.S. government has mismanaged the economy to include:
Massive federal debt approaching $9 trillion;
Yearly trade deficits approaching $1 trillion;
Federal taxes that extort more than 25 percent of the entire economy; and
Over $40 trillion in unfunded liabilities, which include Social Security and Medicare.
Having endured a Revolutionary War with an unsound currency (remember the phrase “Not worth a Continental”?), the founders were acutely aware of the importance of having a currency with a store of value. I’m afraid the American public will not wake up until we experience an economic catastrophe that affects everyone.
James Frye, Aurora
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