Letter: Education changes may not fit all students
After reading and hearing about some of the changes in the educational system for the very near future, I am very concerned that the changes may not be conducive for all students and for a number of teachers in the Louisiana system. This is not to say that the changes are bad, but in many areas, adjustments need to be made for the welfare of all who will possibly be affected.
I am very concerned that when problems are cited about students and their lack of progress on the standardized tests, it gives the notion that teachers are not providing adequate instructions and strategies needed to bring students to their grade level expectation. It has to be noted somewhere that there are good teachers who are sometimes teaching students who do not want to learn, and these students bring about several distractions throughout the day which interrupt the flow of the instructional periods.
Even while implementing good classroom management and receiving support from the administration, there are still some students who persist to have destructive behavior and make it difficult to educate all students. I understand that students should not be invited to learn, they are required to learn, but some students come to school with a much different agenda and sometimes legitimate behavioral issues.
Excessive negative behavior does not happen at all schools, because all schools and situations are not the same.
Therefore, a plan should be implemented to help correct some of the underlying problems in the schools cited for low performance.
Officials who are concerned about “all children” should not place a bandage on or deliver a “cure all plan” for a problem that is much greater than their perception.
We do need a good accountable system; however, the suggested plan does not appear to be a solution to a problem, but an “escape” for some kids.
In my opinion, the voucher system is going to do a lot of “sorting out” of students. Let’s face the fact: The problem will still exist (perhaps magnify) at the “other schools” that get the students who other schools “may not have the room to take.”
Gwendolyn King Perry
educator/journalist
Zachary