Letters

Sí To a Second Language
I read Suzanne Emery's opinion in "Should All Students Be Bilingual?" (Debate, May 2002) and strongly disagree with her statement that a "second language is a luxury" and "needed only for the college bound and then only in certain majors." Don't all students deserve to learn about differences in language and culture?

It has been a long time coming, but finally many states have mandated foreign language as a part of the curriculum. People who are educated and can develop an appreciation in these differences are less likely to form prejudices and intolerance against them. Especially in times like these, aren't these important lessons to share with all of our children?

Kathleen Owens 
Fairfield, New Jersey 

We live in a fast-changing, technologically sophisticated, and politically complex world. Mastery of a second language is no longer a scholarly distinction or a skill restricted to the educated elite but a tool used daily in science and business. The inclusion of both classical and modern languages in school fosters a sense of humanity; it increases employment opportunities; and it assists students in adapting to the multiethnic environments and value orientations of others within our society.

New Jersey now has core curriculum content standards requiring all public school students to take a language as an integral part of the K-12 experience. Studying and mastering world languages endows our students with a second soul while giving them the background for responsible adult citizenship, regardless of vocation choice.

Julio G. Verdecia
West Caldwell, New Jersey

I was terribly disturbed by Suzanne Emery's lumping of suicide prevention with "the other mandates that politically correct states and school districts impose: cultural holidays, parenting classes, good health activities, well-rounded social growth, adequate physical activities, [and] proper nutrition."

I only hope Emery will be open-minded enough (since she seems to detest being so politically correct) to read Douglas Ward's piece. The nation and the world need more teachers like him. He is a colleague after my own educator's heart.

Faith Mowoe
Rialto, California

Suzanne Emery contends that a second language is only useful in certain majors. In which major is it not useful? Business? Do we not conduct business internationally, even if our business is small and family-owned? Education? How many of us work with students that have arrived from another country? Medicine? Law? Clients and patients are not all English-speaking. Journalism? Don't journalists (foreign and domestic) need to be able to communicate with a variety of individuals?

Is a second language needed only for the college bound? I am a second language teacher, and my students are not all going to college. They work in a host of service-oriented jobs, where they often use Spanish with customers.

Now that Emergy is retired, I hope she can travel to other countries. And in each country I hope she tries to make a purchase, or needs emergency help, or simply asks for directions from someone who believes, like she, that a second language is only for the college bound, and only for certain majors.

Rae LaMarche
Springfield, Oregon

The Real Deal on Unz
In "English Lessons" (May 2002), NEA Today simplifies a much more complex issue and fails to accurately characterize some other major components of the Unz initiative against English-language learners in Massachusetts.

The initiative is at its heart anti-teacher. Teachers who use any native language in the classroom could be personally sued without the opportunity to be indemnified by their unions. Teachers can also lose their certification for five years.

Ronald Unz is setting a most dangerous precedent by crisscrossing the country making educational policy from the ballot box. Why do voters across the United States give this man so much power? He never spent a day in a classroom nor had to fight the daily battle teachers across the country fight in order to reach their children every day. Yet he uses his money to aggressively promote his initiative across the state, in some cases paying "consultants" to speak out in favor of it. Imagine how many other millionaires with nothing else to do lurk in the shadows conjuring up ideas to "fix" education.

Margaret Adams
Dedham, Massachusetts

Health Care Fix?
I just read the report on NEA's financial status by then NEA Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Van Roekel (May 2002). I am a 25+-year member of NEA from Wisconsin, where we are being ravaged by hyper-inflationary health care costs. Our premiums went up 25 percent last year and are to go up 35 percent next year, putting annual premiums for a family plan around $13,000. Needless to say, the future for teachers and taxpayers appears to be held hostage by health care providers, including drug companies, who are some of the most profitable corporations in our economy. If this same thing is not happening in other regions of the country, it's only a matter of time.

As a union we generate over a quarter billion dollars in revenue with 2.7 million members. But we, the members, are in a crisis. In Wisconsin we have a health insurance program sponsored by our teacher's union, Wisconsin Education Association Council, with about 160,000 members and their families insured. This is a very cost-effective and member-driven insurance plan with excellent benefits, but we are not big enough to have a major influence on these large health care and drug company corporations.

The only real solution to this crisis is to organize a large enough block (union) of customers to negotiate with these corporate providers. I read recently that we are entering a new world order. As I see it, we as a union can go along, quietly checking our mutual fund reports-or we can act in the spirit of our founders and stand tall on this global stage.

Jeff Horner
River Falls, Wisconsin

This Bonus Won't Work
In an answer to your question about colleagues who don't pull their own weight (Dilemma, May 2002), Frank "Kiko" Chavez suggests giving $100 to those who go a whole semester without using a sick day. Mr. Chavez's plan would make non-Christians choose between taking off for religious observances and a bonus. It would also force teachers with children to send their kids to school when they are sick.

Being at school every day does not solve the problem of pulling your own weight. There are many people who show up every day and just get a paycheck. Mr. Chavez's plan would be good-if teachers were all Christian or got days off for every religious holiday; if teachers were all single, without children (and never needed a holiday); and, of course, if teachers never got sick. In other words, his plan cannot work.

Mace Bravin
Tucson, Arizona

Bigger, Not better
In "If I Wrote the Law" (May 2002), one writer answered, "No student should be in a high school with more than 1,000 kids." In the 1950s I was a member of the Education Council, a research group of the Ohio Education Association. We attempted to evaluate success in college (measured by grades) as it related to the size of the high school a student attended. We only got data from Ohio's state universities, but it showed that students achieved best if they had attended a high school whose population ranged from 250 to 500.

The Council members concluded that institutions this size could provide a fairly well-rounded program. Probably of more importance: there was less incidence of students "falling through the cracks," because students and teachers functioned a lot like family. Unfortunately, we never saw any evidence that the results of our study have been recognized. "Bigger and better" has been the theme through the years.

Floyd R. West
Binghamtom, New York

Love that Uniform
After reading the debate on public school mandated uniforms (Debate, April 2002), I was deeply disturbed. In particular, I find placing parochial schools in the same category as prisons and boot camps to be terribly offensive.

Growing up, I moved several times and attended seven different schools-some public, some private. I cannot remember any instances of physical fighting at my parochial schools. At three different public high schools, though, fights were not uncommon and often were somewhat brutal. I am not saying that uniforms solely contribute to the difference, but I think that wearing uniforms is one of many factors that contribute to student behavior.

Instead of continuing to condone offensive and dangerous behavior on the basis that every student is an individual with different needs, why not teach kids respect and that there are repercussions for their actions. Children need to understand that everything in life is not a choice. Sometimes you have to do what you're told.

Sara Poppish
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

No Child Left? No Way
It's early 2004. Athletes all over the world are putting the final polish on their training for the Athens Olympics. Then the IOC issues a policy statement for the games: "No Runner Left Behind." Chaos ensues.

It sounds pretty stupid, doesn't it? It's also impossible. Sadly, so is the literal meaning of "No Child Left Behind" (Cover, March 2002). That cannot be. We live in the real world, not Lake Wobegon "where all children are above average." There are myriad factors that can lead to a child being "left behind." We, as educators, cannot unmake those factors, wish them away, or fully compensate for them.

Perhaps what the Bush Administration means is "no child will be left behind through a failure on the part of the educational establishment." That's reasonable. Just cut class sizes in half (or, better still, put two trained adults in each classroom); repair all the decrepit schools; fully fund all programs; staff, modernize, and stock school libraries; pay teachers a living wage; and have a new textbook for each child-then we can probably make sure that no child falls behind through lack of effort or resources on our part.

Karl Smith
Richmond, California

Junk the Junk Food
Having just read the column regarding whether junk food should be allowed in schools (Debate, March 2002), I feel compelled to address the educator who responded yes.

As a health care professional with 23 years of experience, I can tell you that banning cola and candy will not cause a medical hardship to any student. On the contrary, allowing the prominent sale of these items is a contributing factor to a growing epidemic of childhood obesity in our country.

Adult onset diabetes (linked with obesity) is now affecting our youth with a tenfold increase in 20 years. Between 1965-96, the sale of pop has increased 300 percent, while milk consumption decreased by 36 percent. There is hypocrisy in having what children learn in the classroom regarding nutrition end as soon as they enter the cafeteria.

Janalee Stock, R.N.
Athens, Ohio

Those concerned about increasing cholesterol levels and type 2 diabetes in children know that children should have only healthy choices in school cafeterias. Milk is healthy if low-fat kinds are used. It is digested as a balanced food, as it contains proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Many children who cannot digest milk can digest cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese.

Instead of knocking the value of milk, let's get together and ask the federal government to allow soy or goat's milk in the schools, too, so that the few who cannot drink cow's milk can have healthy alternatives.

Beverly Giberson
Renton, Washington

Retirement Quandary
Thank you for your article on Social Security offsets, "Retiring on Next to Nothing" (February 2002). Junita Drisko, who was featured in the article is a Maine teacher. I also taught in Maine for 16 years. When I started planning my retirement I found out about the Government Pension Offset/Windfall Elimination Provision. Upon writing letters to our state Association paper, The Main Educator, I received a huge response from others who were as disbelieving as I was initially. Maine teachers who are affected by these laws have taken an active role in politically advocating for change.

Maine has proved that there is political power in numbers, and it's good to see that at last active teachers are being informed through our national publication of what the government is going to do to some of their planned retirement money.

Mary Ella Bergmann
Bridgeton, New Jersey