THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 6, 1994 TAG: 9408050017
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
Don Feder's column of July 11, and Thomas Sowell's column of July 23 lay all responsibility for the poor performance of public-school students at the feet of classroom teachers. They commented only on negative aspects of public education, offering no practical suggestions for improvement. As public-school teachers, we feel it is our responsibility to offer a different perspective in response to their unfair and unbalanced remarks.
Mr. Sowell and Mr. Feder seem to believe that all public-school teachers are of the same (poor) quality. Many committed teachers are well-qualified and highly effective in their classrooms.
Responsibility for providing excellent teachers lies with the universities that educate them and the school administrators who hire and supervise them. We are constantly seeking answers to the problems we encounter in educating our children.
The national, state and local education associations are helpful in finding solutions, but they do not dictate the agendas in our classrooms. Contrary to Mr. Feder's statement, we do not propagandize captive audiences. We hold our students to high standards, but we have to deal with bureaucratic and societal concerns.
Despite Mr. Feder's opinion, we earn our income. Dedicated teachers work far beyond the school day and the school year in order to continue their own professional development and to prepare effective lessons promoting the intellectual development of their students.
Criticism of public-school performance frequently ignores other factors that affect student achievement, factors that often are beyond the influence of the classroom teacher. Teachers are expected to work miracles with students who take no personal responsibility for their own learning and whose parents are not interested in their achievements. Children must come to school with the understanding that their own attitude toward learning is the single biggest factor in their success or failure. Despite our best efforts, it is very difficult to teach a child who is not interested in learning.
Public education in America will not improve unless we look beyond the walls of the classroom and address this issue, in addition to the well-known problems of poverty, violence, drugs and dysfunctional families.
Multiple problems affect public education today. Continually pointing fingers at classroom teachers and dwelling on the negative will not solve them. We need to publicize programs that are effective in raising academic performance, and work together to devise new strategies to meet the needs of students in an ever-changing society.
For large-scale change, the education community needs the support and cooperation of the mass media, elected officials, business leaders and, especially, parents and students.
JOAN RAYBOURN
BARBARA STOKEY
Virginia Beach, Aug. 2, 1994 by CNB