Today's Letters: Teaching isn't a competition

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published September 11, 2007

Teaching isn't a competition

I feel compelled to write about the new teacher performance pay plan, MAP, that will be voted on in the Pasco school district Sept. 20.

Education is a profession where people should be collaborating, not competing. How can we create a culture of collaboration and trust within a rigorous and relevant academic environment if we are measuring ourselves against each other in a competitive manner? Wouldn't it be better if we were allowed, as educators, to reflect on our performance (as any good teacher does daily), to get assistance from our peers by sharing ideas, observing in each others' classrooms, teaching each other best practices and getting support from our administrators to be the best teachers we are capable of being?

By implementing plans like MAP (and STAR) you are asking us to destroy any culture of collaboration that we have established at our school sites, not to mention the negative impact all of this has had on the relationships between schools in the same district. You have pitted us against each other to get that "A" or to be that teacher who gets the bonus. You are promoting divisiveness - now how does that benefit our children? Will we become more focused on the golden apple and leave our children behind?

Isn't it a sad state that Pasco County believes only one in four teachers are doing their jobs effectively? I'm also amazed that Pasco County schools would consider spending $600,000 on only a quarter of our teachers for a bonus.

I have recently attended training called Learning Focused Solutions and I learned something new. Did you know that 50 percent of how well a child learns is how they feel about themselves? Tell me, is there a standardized test to measure that? I know that as a teacher who cares not only for the academic success of my students but also for their emotional well being, that making sure every child has a positive experience in school every day is what really matters to me.

The other interesting statistic I learned was that only 25 percent of a child's intelligence actually impacts their academic success. And guess what the last 25 percent is? How hard they are willing to work and what opportunities are available to them. These statistics are based on research.

I was very proud of my peers last school year when we stood together and voted down STAR. I hope on Sept. 20 we will do the same thing.

Rory McLeod, New Port Richey

Foes persist in mall battle Sept. 8, story

Development is uncontrolled

Bravo to the Sierra Club and its efforts toward the Cypress Creek Town Center.

It brings to light the apparent uncontrolled building in central Pasco. All of this construction will not only affect our water supply but wildlife as well.

Motorists may see roadkill, but in reality it is our wildlife that is being displaced.

Developers may say that all this construction is progress, but remember developers will be here today and gone tomorrow. And when tomorrow comes and we regret this progress, the developer will be long gone.

So, it is up to every citizen to question all proposals for development brought before our county before it is too late.

Walter J. Garcia, Land O'Lakes

Ladies be careful what you ask for Sept. 7, letter

Vulgarity isn't feminists' fault

The letter writer is clearly addressing two completely separate issues, and I hope to disambiguate the public rant.

The argument and central complaint is that young women seem particularly vulgar to the writer - almost as vulgar as young men. The reasoning supporting the argument, however, is illogical. Feminism, the writer says, has caused this display of vulgarity.

His quote "women who were once held to a higher standard are now just one of the guys" saddens me for so many reasons. Why should women be held to any different standard than men? Why does the writer feel that the standard of men is so low?

Feminists don't fight for women to be just like men. Feminists fight for equality for all people. Feminists might be interested in addressing the vulgarity of youth in general. Unfortunately, though, there are many people like you who would rather find a scapegoat on which to blame the problems of society, rather than taking that energy and trying to think of constructive ways to resolve these issues.

Christina Partin, New Port Richey

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[Last modified September 10, 2007, 21:24:31]