Blend, Don't Add

I do information technology training and technical support for my high school faculty and I enjoyed "Are You Ready?" (cover story, April). It was one of the few articles in re-cent educational publications to say that information technology cannot be an add-on for teachers, but should blend into what they do.

One thing about the article disappointed me, however. The opening paragraph refers to technology as a tool. Technology is not a tool. It uses tools. Technology is not a thing, but rather a process that people perform. Teachers are being misled to think that adding computers is adding technology. In reality, they already perform technological processes, whether they use computers or not.

Wayne Lang
Rapid City, South Dakota

I disagree with Lynn Nolan of the International Society for Technology in Education when she says, "It's no longer about professional development on basic computing skills, but more professional development on technology integration."

We need to move away from the idea that technology is a subject area. Until we present professional development in all areas of the curriculum with a technology component, it will not become embedded in our teaching. Good teaching is good teaching. You use the tools that are most appropriate for the task at hand.

Patty Yamano
Agoura, California

Puppy Love
I find it interesting that you now are featuring articles about therapy and support dogs in the classroom (In Focus, April). I teach special education for kindergarten through third grade and have been using therapy dogs in my classroom this year. I started using the dogs to encourage my students to write about their experience.

It has been a huge success in my room. I am glad to learn it is working in other classrooms.

Pattie Gibbs
Bethalto, Illinois

High-Stakes Questions
In the March President's Viewpoint Reg Weaver stated the problem very clearly: How do we ensure that policy makers recognize high-stakes testing is not the answer?

Who are these policy makers? I do not know where or how to find them, let alone speak to them.

I am an elementary special education teacher in a small rural district, strapped for cash and space. How can the government hold us accountable via high-stakes testing when it is not accountable to its own laws?

By refusing to fully fund special education and punishing districts unable to provide programming mandated by the law, the federal government is engineering the demise, not only of special education, but of small school districts.

Adrienne Parsons
Danforth, Maine

Editor's note: One quick way to contact members of Congress is to visit NEA's Legislative Action Center at www.nea.org/lac. There you'll find information on who your elected officials in the House and Senate are, plus an easy way to send them a letter.

NEA and members can moan and groan over high-stakes testing, but the reality is that society wants it. For many years, schools graduated students who could not function in society. Now, society wants to ensure that graduates meet some minimum criteria. What's wrong with that? Many countries require entrance exams for continuing education. Students who don't pass are relegated to vocations.

For many years, our district has been giving high-stakes tests valued at 20 percent of a student's grade. I do have to eliminate some areas I would like to teach to cover the objectives on the test. But the district is paying my salary.

I agree with Reg Weaver that teachers should have input. But school should be preparation for life, and high-stakes tests are part of life.

Robert Oldfield
Mesa, Arizona

Whenever I hear about intensive and extensive testing of students, I'm reminded of a story I once heard about a farmer who raised hogs for market. He was so concerned about whether his hogs were gaining weight on his special diets that he weighed them every hour. The poor hogs spent so much time being weighed that they had no time to eat and starved to death.

Does high-stakes testing get in the way of our students' hunger for knowledge?

Kathy Dallaire
Chester, New Hampshire

Hats Off
I was deeply moved by two articles in the March issue. One was "IDEA Faces Reauthorization." I am a retired business education teacher. I used to teach typing to special education students. I thought my students would benefit from typing real reports rather than just copying from a typing manual, but I had trouble getting other teachers to give these students assignments to type. I wish I had Ken Johnson in my school. I'm sure that he could have been more successful.

The other article that really got to me was "The Straitjacket of Standardized Tests" by Tom McKenna. I had tears in my eyes. The more the public is involved with the school system, the more they know what is being done and are more likely to support the school.

My hat goes off to both of these gentlemen. I hope both schools realize how fortunate they are to have them.

Ernest Welch
New London, New Hampshire

The Devil Lost
"For Sale--Your Kids," (book review, March) refers to the "Faustian bargain" schools make with Channel One. Our school entered into the contract to obtain free televisions, but we stayed because of the high quality of the programming.

Channel One does an exceptionally good job with features of special interest to teenagers such as eating disorders, teen domestic (dating) violence, and drug use.

I remember one feature about five years ago on depression. During the program, I saw that a girl in the back of my room had tears running down her face. I took her into the hall and asked what was wrong. She turned her wrists to me to show where she had been cutting herself. We went straight to the counselor's office! She called me recently and thanked me for saving her life.

I let my students talk during the commercials, so most of them paid little attention to the commercials. In exchange, students who would seldom watch the news were exposed to in-depth coverage by reporters slightly older than themselves. If this is a Faustian bargain, it is one the devil lost!

Priscilla Darley
Athens, Georgia

Willing to Wait
I am a second year education major and head of the youth department at my church. I am also a 19-year-old male who is proudly a virgin (Debate, February). I have lived up to a vow to remain sexually abstinent.

However, my decision was not influenced by my years in public schools. Sadly, most abstinence-only education is flawed. It amounts to scare tactics: Don't have sex because you might get pregnant or contract AIDS. This approach is worthless.

While I believe in separation of church and state, I think the state could learn a few lessons from the church on this issue. Why did I decide to remain abstinent? I went through a program called "True Love Waits." One of its key concepts is that a vow of abstinence is made to others, not to yourself. Out of respect for my current and future families, my friends, my girlfriends, my future spouse, and my future children, I vowed to remain abstinent until I was married. Respect has been a central aspect of my dating life. I hope abstinence-only education can move away from scare tactics and towards respect, concern, and responsibility.

Mark Adkins
Utica, Kentucky

Disruptive Students The latest setback for public schools comes from a bill passed in the Ohio legislature that allows for even more charter schools. It appears that public schools are under attack.

Perhaps the legislature and leaders of public schools need to examine the major reasons why parents are lured to charter schools and home schooling. It is not because of low academic achievement in the public schools.

Instead, their departure may result because many of the most disruptive and aggressive students in the public schools are permitted to remain in the classroom at the expense of other students. These disruptive and aggressive students, who represent only 3 to 5 percent of the student population, now use up to 80 percent of a teacher's time.

Meanwhile, the silent majority of students who want to be in school and who will follow rules are having their education held hostage by these students.

There should be alternative educational placements at every grade level for students who do not qualify for special education but who will not or cannot function in a typical school setting.

David Gannon
Canton, Ohio

Truly Special Needs
I have seen the phenomenal growth of special education/special services in the last 10 years. There are problems brewing, such as the large number of students who are classified as special needs students because of state funding rather than special needs. Huge sums of money are spent on the needs of individual students or on collaborative specialists sitting in regular classes.

Because of special education class sizes and room use, regular class sizes are increasing and new rooms must be built. Taxes are going up. We have to get a hold on this problem.

Only students who truly need special help and can't get it from their regular teachers should be classified into special education. I've heard many times that fault lies in "the law" and we can't do anything about it. Let's change the law.

Ray DiGrazia
Waldwick, New Jersey

Healthy Kids Learn
Why don't we push for healthy children in our schools? Let's push for national health care cards with care begun in infancy to catch problems early, so children will really be able to learn.

Marilyn Sim
Troy, Ohio

Where's the Shortage?
I am a new teacher. I have put in the hard hours, fed my kids microwave meals, communicated in "good mornings" and "good nights" with my husband, and for what? I got a pink slip. After years of education and hard work, I simply am cast aside as a budget woe. I have dealt with the insecurity of where my next job will be for two consecutive years and now face more. I have been to other districts and it is the same everywhere: "We are cutting back."

Where is the teacher shortage? And at what point do all these politicians who are elected by teachers on the education bandwagon put their money where they hope their vote is?

Dawn Boldrin
Camarillo, California

Remembering a Good Neighbor
The death of Fred Rogers was felt by millions of Americans and educators across the country. I hope we can all use him as our inspiration when we teach. If we teach students to like themselves and assure them that they are special just the way they are, what a wonderful life-long gift we can give to them.

With our priorities on state testing scores, mounds of paperwork, and endless meetings, we forget the soul of our profession. Rogers said a teacher should help children "to be better than they might be, to be kind, to be open, and to use their imagination." He also said, "It's a privilege to be trusted by children. And I don't take it lightly." This last quote should be engraved 10 feet tall in front of every school.

Joe Santoro
Berkeley Springs, West Virginia

Ten Commandments
As a solution to the controversy over posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms, I propose The New Ten Commandments:

1. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
2. Seek liberty and justice for all.
3. Be diligent in the care of the environment.
4. Just say NO to illegal drugs.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother.
6. Thou shall not kill.
7. Thou shall not commit adultery.
8. Thou shall not steal.
9. Thou shall not bear false witness.
10. Thou shall not drink and drive.

This avoids the church/state issue, while providing moral guidance for youth in today's world.

Gene Barmore
Huntington Beach, California