ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601150020
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
TYPE: LETTERS
Now that all of the Hokie fans have returned safely from their extended vacation in New Orleans, it is time to put their "ordeal" into perspective. Were they inconvenienced, distraught, frustrated and uncomfortable? Without a doubt. Was it expensive in money and time? Of course.
But were their lives in danger? Was it a disaster? Hardly. Compared to the floods, ice storms and family tragedies we have all survived, this was scarcely a story that needed full-color, front-page coverage.
Some of the passengers are reported to have accused the Cowleys of lying and knowing all the time that the planes would not leave. If this were true, would the Cowleys have stayed with the group and arranged sleeping rooms at some of New Orleans' best hotels?
We have known Patti and Larry Cowley since they first made Blacksburg their home. We know them as loving, caring parents and friends. They are simply wonderful, honest people who have now taken responsibility for the misadventures of the Hokie fans who selected Omni Travel to get them to the Sugar Bowl. If the Hokies had lost, would this also have been blamed on Omni Travel?
That they would deliberately cause inconvenience to their customers is unthinkable.
Beatrice and Theodore Ake
Blacksburg
Don't cheat America of her teachers
What one outstanding possession do most successful people have in common? Their passion for their chosen professional endeavors. The desire to excel is likely the result of work by another professional at the opposite end of the salary spectrum from what is considered the proof of success.
That profession is teaching. Young adults are being cheated if they do not have at least one teacher who is an inspiration and a motivator. I fondly remember the teachers who pushed me to work harder in my studies, teachers who made previously unloved subjects my favorites.
I frequently ask young students if they have had a great teacher. Many say no. These students will never have the feeling of worth - or the lifelong motivation - a great teacher can give a student.
As budgets get squeezed, and funds to train new teachers are cut, the cutbacks force top-notch teaching schools to go down a notch in prestige and expertise.
Our future teachers are cheated. Caught in the downward spiral are our future professionals, the visionaries who will shape our new generation.
I believe teachers are one of America's most valuable assets. A teacher will educate, on average, 1,000 students during his or her teaching career. They work for less money than they are worth.
To skimp on the training of new teachers is a mistake of huge future monetary proportions.
Today, big and small corporations allocate large portions of their profits for research and development. These same forward-looking corporations also donate to schools and universities to ensure a new generation of employees.
If a new computer designer adds $1 billion to his company's bottom line, he is rewarded. The great teacher may get a gushing tribute. Small reward. But for educators, a small reward is their only reward.
Let's turn this policy around and recognize teachers and those who train them as America's most under-rewarded asset. Increase funding for universities to produce top-notch teachers. The economy will benefit. Unless priorities are turned around, we will all be cheated and left wondering if America could have been a great teacher.
Paul Sanders
Blacksburg
LENGTH: Medium: 70 linesby CNB