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© St. Petersburg Times, published April 30, 2001
Re: Kids learn more wrong than right, by Gregory Kane, April 21.
Reading Gregory Kane's column only emphasized the importance of strengthening teacher training and increasing incentives to those who choose to enter this important profession. Although he is well-intentioned, individuals like Mr. Kane have no business taking part in the process of schooling for our youth. His lack of training and cultural bias can make his participation almost a detriment to the youth he is intending to benefit.
First, kids of all races and social classes always have had and always will have conflicts. Conflict is a fact of human nature. Mr. Kane's mentality that all blacks need to "stick together," and that within race conflicts are silly and inconsequential is condescending. When white Americans have conflicts is it as common to hear "What is wrong with these whites? They need to learn to stick together." No. One does not expect homogeneity within the ranks of white Americans, so nor should they with African-Americans.
Second, parents are not "sending their child to school . . . too knowledgeable in the things they shouldn't know." It is the changing of society, the increasing influence of media, and rapid access to information through technology that is shaping the knowledge systems of our youth. Twenty years ago lesbians were not portrayed on prime-time television shows like they are today. Hence, second-graders are familiar with the term. One might argue that the gay lifestyle is a fact of life, and to familiarize children with it is only honest.
Third, when a teacher says "Harder work is more interesting to teach," she is surely missing the point of teaching, and may not be the best source of information. The curriculum should be created so it is interesting for the students, not the teacher. The cultural context and cognitive abilities of the students must be taken into account, and it is crucial that teachers adapt the curriculum to match the level of the participants. Furthermore, archaic and low-stimulation education methods like teacher-centered lecture and note-taking just cannot compete with the excitement of modern technology. Educational methods need to be modernized to include technology not only to maintain the interests of the students, but also to prepare them for the real world.
What Mr. Kane and others like him fail to realize is that much is right with American education. The amount and variety of information that is presented in schools, especially high schools, has mushroomed in the past fifty years. Economics, psychology, anthropology, information technologies, criminology, advanced medical studies -- these subjects were not even available in high schools in the past. Drop out rates are at an all-time low, and more students are attending and finishing college than ever before.
Public education does exist, and is not a failure. But improvements can definitely be made by attracting more qualified teachers, giving these teachers support, and upgrading their training to include more cultural context awareness, modern educational technology, and teaching methods that make lessons interesting for the students. These improvements require financial resources. Vouchers directly take money away from public education and are certainly not the solution to fix problems in our schools.
Mr. Kane, maybe you should go back to school! There is much you need to learn.
-- Jennifer Morley, Brandon
Re: Senate plans a break for teachers' math scores, April 21.
When I saw your headline about giving teachers a break on their math scores, I was outraged. First, I agree with Sen. Sullivan that anyone with a college degree should be able to pass a test showing basic math fundamentals. It should not matter what subject someone wants to teach, they should be able to pass a 10th-grade-level test before being allowed to teach our children.
Second, I am offended by the comment by Sen. Lawson that this measure will help art, music, and physical education teachers. This implies that teachers in these areas are the ones having the problems with this test. When I starting teaching eight years ago as a band director in Pinellas County I also had to assume the responsibility of teaching math. I passed the CLAST in college with little effort and found the state certification test for middle-grades-math to be simple. I hold a degree in music education, but I'm certified to teach music and mathematics.
Last, I find it very hard to understand why our state lawmakers will require every student in the state to pass Algebra One before they receive their diploma, but they are willing to lower standards to put teachers in the classroom. This is absurd. What kind of message does this send the students, parents, and the communities which we are here to serve? I understand that the state wants to find a way to manage the teacher shortage that we face now, but lowering standards is not the answer. We will have more teachers but the children will suffer.
-- Troy Krotz, Largo
Re: Remember those thirsty visitors, letter, April 18.
With regards to visitors (snowbirds) using up all the letter writer's water: If all "snowbirds" totally refrained from coming to Florida, the state's economy would virtually collapse. The influx of capital from seasonal visitors is absolutely necessary. Apparently, the letter writer is not up to speed on the condition of the Great Lakes to which he alludes. The Great Lakes water levels are down so low that there is serious concern that they may not recover. Sound familiar?
Instead of running a boat from my dock on Lake Erie, I could proably plant and harvest a crop of vegetables from the space formerly reserved for my boat.
"Snowbirds" should not be blamed for Florida's water shortage, California's power and water deficit, nor any other geographic regional problem, which is continental and worldwide today. We are all in the global lifeboat and it's getting pretty crowded, so we'd better be careful with the finite resources that God has given us.
-- Don Millar, St. Petersburg
My wife and I have been coming to Florida for over 20 years and we moved here a year ago. We have heard the same issue: We need rain and water. We agree.
The state's solution is to raise the water rates and create more restrictions. Does this create a water supply? We do conserve, and we don't mind paying a higher rate as long as the extra revenue goes into a program to create a water supply instead of going into someone's pocket. Desalination plants: We don't know what to do with the salt. Let's ask Aruba what they do or send it up north for the winter roads. We have the brain power to figure this out.
We can't count on mother nature. We need to do something now or the day will come when we go dry. Conservation is needed, but so is creating a water supply. You can't charge more for water when there is none.
-- Dave Bill, St. Petersburg
There's plenty of water all over the planet. We must find ways to use surface water. We are taking too much water from drilled wells.
Two thousand years ago, the Romans brought water to their cities. Oil companies pump gas and oil through thousands of miles of pipelines. Many dams can be built to produce electricity, and water can be piped down.
It's not easy, but neither were the Hoover and Tennessee Valley Authority dams.
-- Dennis Hudascko, Dunedin
Re: During drought, extremes emerge, April 17.
I am appalled by the arrogance of people who appear to believe that because they can afford to pay any fine they do not have to obey any law for which the penalty is only a fine.
This arrogance is strikingly demonstrated by the several individuals reported in your paper of April 17 who persist in ignoring watering laws. Uncaring of the adverse effects on the community, they ignore the law knowingly and willfully, as indicated by the comments of the woman in Cobb's Landing who is quoted as saying "We'll just go ahead and pay the fine." That same spirit of "The public be damned" is shown by the Belleair Bluffs resident who is quoted as saying, "I was illegally watering, no question about it. And I did it on purpose . . . I figured it was worth paying the 200 bucks or whatever it was . . . I admit I was breaking the rules, but I'd do it again."
-- Fines are normally imposed in lieu of jail time. This does not, or should not, mean that anyone who can afford to pay any fine without hardship should be entitled to ignore laws that apply to all less financially fortunate individuals.
To knowingly break a law for which the penalty is only a fine, to do so repeatedly, and then announce that he would do it again, is arrogant beyond belief.
To protect the interests of the less affluent members of the community, it would seem that more severe penalties than fines for certain offenses should be considered.
Siegmund W. Smith, Madeira Beach
As a native of Pinellas County I find it somewhat ironic the county commissioners have stiffened watering fines and are pleading with residents to conserve water as much as possible. As it is necessary that we as residents of Pinellas County do try to conserve as much as possible, I would also like to know what the county is doing to alleviate the problem?
Has the county put a halt to all new construction? Has the county refused developers' requests for new residential developments?
From the looks of all the new construction I see still going on in Pinellas County, the answers to these questions is probably "No."
Unfortunately, Pinellas County has been so overdeveloped thanks to past and present government officials no amount of rain is going to help. Come to think of it, maybe they should have included Mother Nature in their zoning meetings to see if she was going to cooperate with their decisions.
-- Dan Herzog, Pinellas Park
Pick Talley, Pinellas County Utilities Director, is unwilling to increase water rates to achieve conservation because he claims it would penalize residents who are not to blame for water woes. There is a simple resolution. Reduce the base rate an amount that will compensate for the increase in water usage rate for the average consumer. This will greatly benefit the low water user and penalize the heavy user while keeping the total receipts in line with the budgeted amount.
-- Vaughn Irwin, St. Petersburg
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