The Don Vaughan letters
It seems to me that 2 letters to the editor getting published in one day is pretty remarkable, If I didn’t know better I would suspect media bias.
The whole notion that Don Vaughan is a champion of education amuses me . He has said his solution is to raise teacher’s salary, while popular with teachers that has already been done.
N.C. teacher’s just received a 8 % increase from the General Assembly in 2008. We already spend more on education per student than almost anywhere else in the country, while being ranked among the lowest in quality of education. Don doesn’t think enough of the public school system to send his own child to a public school.
I will work to improve parental involvement and require responsibility for our children’s education from everyone with a stake in it, which by the way is all of us. Any funding I approve of will have stated uses and quantifiable goals attached. Positive economic development without a respected system of education is not possible.
November 1st, 2008 at 10:04 am
Hello Joe Wilson,
I agree with you about raising teacher salary is not the only solution for a student’s education. The problem is right at the beginning of a child’s education from the parents and the elementary teachers.
My wife is a HS teacher, but she struggles everyday with parents that don’t care about their child’s education. Some parents claim that they have no time to make sure their child is studying or even reading a book. I see children playing outside everyday (til dusk) in different neighborhoods or constantly playing some type sport and spending little or no time on studies or books.
Secondly, the other problem is schools are letting low performing or failing students pass through the grades. We still have some that can barely READ/WRITE in high school. In High School, we are forcing students that are failing Language Arts in English and still put them in SPANISH classes. The school just passes the failing students anyway in both classes.
We need a better Education System. I would also suggest that NC get Vocational and Technical High Schools that prepare students with Skills and certifications to work in the real world and not have to goto College.
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 am
Thank you Nelson for your post , I feel very strongly that parental involvement is the key to reforming schools. I have been talking to voters at the polls recently and as luck would have it more than a few I have met are teachers.
They tell me discipline and parents being responsible for their children are the biggest element in fixing our broken education system.
I feel vocational education is a big part of the answer, it should be returned to middle and high school curriculum. I was a vocational ed student and it has served me well throughout my life.
I still use the high school drafting lessons in my career today. I learned to weld in High School and still use it. Even though welding and metal work is not required in my current field, if I had to I could go get a job doing it.
I spoke with a community college level teacher yesterday and she told me that she has 19 year olds who can’t read on 8th grade level, and she agreed with me that all the teacher salary increases in the world won’t make people better teachers.
Thanks again for your time and also for using your real name on your post.