ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 14, 1996 TAG: 9603140015
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
THE FEB. 19 article, ``Black leaders outraged over Confederate ball,'' was an outrage itself. It stated: ``Black leaders expressed astonishment and outrage, asserting that the event would resurrect ghosts of a shameful era.'' This old ploy is used to keep diversity stirred up between races. Without diversity, these so-called leaders wouldn't have a following.
An example is the way the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People sets its goals. One would think that jobs, education, housing, teen pregnancy, drugs, AIDS and crime would be of higher priority than removal of the Confederate flag, which the NAACP lists in its first five goals! Weak leaders, such as former Gov. Doug Wilder, need diversity because it is the only way they know to achieve and hold the title of leader.
It's a shame when someone tries to deny others their right to honor their ancestors and their heritage, as Southerners always have. Yes, we're proud of our shrines and we decorate our ancestors' graves, much in contrast to other parts of the country. Compare Grant's tomb with the grave site of Gen. Robert Lee's horse, and the chapel where Lee is buried. Only after Grant's descendants threatened to move his remains to Illinois did the government try to clean up the tomb. A Southern organization, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, donated money for the cleanup and repair! This same organization was denied the repatent of its logo by racists in our federal government because the logo includes the Confederate flag.
How outraged would these same leaders be if they were told they shouldn't be proud of George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington or Frederick Douglas - that we must rewrite history and destroy any symbol of them?
Before we allow self-appointed leaders to censor our history and deny us our heritage, examine their motives and accomplishments. What gives them the right to declare what's racist and what isn't? Do you really know the true history of the South? True leaders encourage you to find the truth, for they have nothing to hide. Today they want to destroy my heritage; tomorrow, someone might try to destroy yours.
ROBERT HOWLETT
ROANOKE
Hold the critique; let the words flow
AS A PRESCHOOL educator and former after-school coordinator who has worked with many children of all ages, I feel it's necessary for me to speak out for them, as well as myself, on the subject of your Feb. 18 article, "First-graders can suffer writer's block." Expression needs to come first; the spelling can come later.
In elementary school through college, I hated writing. I always worried about spelling, commas, punctuation, etc. When I had a writing assignment, I always waited until the last minute to do it. Every time I would get a writing assignment back, red marks covered it until you barely could see what I had written. The teacher always looked at the grammar first. I realize my context probably wasn't getting the point across, but I never felt like I could let the pen flow because of the way the teacher graded it. It wasn't until my early 20s that I learned to enjoy writing. It has become a hobby I really love.
As I reflect back, I wonder how much more I could have done with writing, not to mention my young self-esteem, if I had not needed to worry so much about all those red corrections.
As a teacher now, I see 5-year-olds excited about writing and creating stories. In class, we devise stories with each child contributing a page. They love it! The story is bound and put on the shelf, and is always a classroom favorite.
I realize children need to learn proper spelling and grammar, but we need to let expression and feelings come first. This, in turn, will encourage them to want to learn proper spelling and English.
If we wouldn't be so critical of young children, we might open the door to many future writers and make learning fun. Best of all, the child would feel good about himself.
DONNA WILLARD
SALEM
HoldJClinton also responsible
IN RESPONSE to Vandora Raines' Feb. 12 letter to the editor, ``Gingrich is out to destroy America'':
Raines admits she's disturbed. Her mistake is obvious in her first sentence: ``The more I read about Gingrich in the newspaper ... '' If the newspaper is her only source of information, then it's no wonder she's disturbed.
What will destroy this country is a debt load that my generation and future generations cannot get out from under, and a Social Security system and Medicare and Medicaid plans that are bankrupt and unable to help people who truly need it. Gingrich and others are drawing a line in the sand and asking that Clinton honor pledges he made in his campaign - among them, a balanced budget. Is Gingrich perfect? No, but he and others in Congress at least stick to their guns and deliver on promises they made.
Here are two quotes. Guess the authors.
``Medicaid and Medicare are going up at three times the rate of inflation. We propose to let it go up at two times the rate of inflation ... Only in Washington do people believe that no one can get by on twice the rate of inflation. So, when you hear all of this business about cuts, let me caution you that that's not the case.''
``We are not talking about cuts, we are talking about reducing the rate of growth ... in half from 11 to 5.5 percent.''
If you said greedy, heartless Republicans, you would be wrong! Quote 1: Bill Clinton, speech to the American Association of Retired Persons, Oct. 5, 1993. Quote 2: Hillary Clinton explaining what would happen to Medicare under her health-care plan, in a speech at George Washington University, Sept. 10, 1993.
Have you seen the news media digging up these kinds of quotes during this budget debate? I think not, and don't hold your breath that they will. A government shutdown isn't pleasant, but Clinton could have signed the balanced budget sent to him or proposed one of his own (as he promised he would). He's just as responsible for a government shutdown as Congress. Does that mean he is out to destroy America?
KENT A. CARTNER
ROANOKE
County schools could be the model
WHILE WE appreciate the focus on children with disabilities, we feel that some information contained in your Feb. 23 article (``Handicapped students like being `included''') was misleading. It's true that our sons are being fully included in Roanoke County, but it hasn't happened because full inclusion is an option offered to every child with a disability. Our sons are being educated in the least restrictive environment due to the dedication and open minds of some very special people at Oak Grove Elementary School.
The principal, teachers and instructional specialists are dedicated to the concept of inclusion, and are doing everything in their power to make it work for students. They attend workshops and seminars on inclusion, and make modifications to their lessons in their classrooms. They've developed a team approach that promotes collaboration among teachers, staff and parents. They're superior educators who believe that students with disabilities have the same rights to a quality public education as their nondisabled peers.
The article said that our children wouldn't have had the option of inclusion 15 or 20 years ago. Unfortunately, in the Roanoke Valley today, most children with significant disabilities are educated in self-contained classrooms outside of their neighborhoods.
The Roanoke County school system was recently cited for noncompliance in several areas of special education by the U.S. Department of Education. Others are also in noncompliance. The county just happens to be the system that was reviewed. Roanoke County should admit to its shortcomings, take corrective action and move forward. Doing so would make the county a model school system for the education of individuals with disabilities, and would give surrounding school systems something to strive for.
SUSAN CLOETER
Chairperson
Roanoke County Special Education Advisory Committee
KATE McCOY
ROANOKE
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