Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 3, 1995 TAG: 9504050053
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LOU SPARKS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Minorities need not be ``victims,'' and the victim mind-set promotes prejudice. I'm a teacher, not wealthy, not liberal nor conservative, but I'm white and a woman. I'm a member of the Virginia Education Association, and Wallin would be prejudiced against me. He spreads his prejudices around between Sen. Brandon Bell and House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, public education, charter schools, the VEA and parents - all Davids vs. Goliaths in his mind. He finishes by throwing in the old Soviet Union (communism) pitted against (but unstated in his letter) his prejudices and not just his opinions.
Regarding his argument against the VEA, let's place blame on several sectors of our society rather than just one. Dumbed-down curricula found its way into school systems from book publishers who found that school systems weren't buying their books because the student body wasn't able to succeed with the editions available. Administrators were aghast at falling test scores, and were frightened that their school systems were going to be compared with others, so principals were pressured to increase test scores and teachers were ordered to make sure everyone succeeded. Teachers bowed to pressure and gave good grades rather than earned ones.
Guidance counselors also pressured systems to make sure that no one felt like a failure. At this point, social promotions, which had been going on for a long time, were replaced with multiage classes and taking the child where he was and helping him go from there.
Teaching bounced from whole-class instruction to small-group instruction, to individualization, to cooperative learning, to ``success'' learning with a patterned formula to help each child. Emphasis was placed more on ways of teaching than on what's learned. Grades became anecdotal for the most part, and could be manipulated so that grades on report cards were eliminated and everyone succeeded - but at what, I'm not sure.
Parents have to be responsible for their own part. To some parents, grades are important. There's pressure on the child and teacher for that child to receive good grades. The teacher is mostly blamed if the student's grades are poor. Other parents don't care what grade a student receives, and not enough pressure is put on the child to deliver.
I don't think charter schools are the answer to all these problems. They will come and go, just as other educational ideas have. From a vantage point of 30 years of teaching experience, I believe parent involvement is essential and would make a difference in our educational system.
Teach your child the value of an education; instill a work ethic. If you're on welfare, work to get off. Don't cheat on your taxes or go too fast when a policeman isn't around. Let your child see you read daily. Read to your child and have your child read to you, even into high school. Get the chip off your shoulder, and realize that you don't have to be a victim.
There are good teachers and good politicians. Where there are bad ones, work the system to get them out. Take the blame for what is your fault, find yourself some wiggle room, and teach your child that he'll have to get along with all kinds of people in this life. Show him how - by demonstrating coping strategies rather than teaching him how to fight.
Lou Sparks, of Roanoke, has been a teacher for 30 years.
by CNB