Letters: Professor compliments teacher’s use of language
On the editorial page, Tuesday, April 24, there was an excellent letter to the editor by Susan Herrington, teacher, of Brusly. Ms. Herrington used the word “teacher(s)” 13 times in her short letter, including her signature, and not once did she use the more pretentious and self-serving term “educator.”
I read a lot of what is written about the problems of educational reform in Louisiana, including the letters to the editor.
After 35 years as a college professor, reading and evaluating papers, it is easy to spot insincerity.
That is why I quit reading any letter or document as soon as I see the word “educator.”
The time-honored word “teacher” connotes someone who provides a valuable service, likely unrequited, to another human, usually a student. “Educator” is merely a cold professional term most often used only to impress.
The points Ms. Herrington made in her letter are cogent and worthy of close consideration.
Her inclusion of a mathematical simulation of “value-added” education was an excellent form of satire on the educational establishment. I hope someone in the education bureaucracy is listening.
Malcolm Wright
retired engineering professor
Baton Rouge