Letters

hank you for your article on Eleanor Bralver, the 86-year-old health teacher (People, April). She's my hero! Eleanor has more energy and enthusiasm than anyone I know. She's an inspiration to all of us "youngsters"-I'm 49-who wonder how we'll make it to the end of the week!

Cathy Hicks

Carlsbad, California

Going to the Mat

found it rather ironic that one day after I read about Minnesota Lt. Governor Mae Schunk's teaching career in NEA Today (People, April), Governor Jesse Ventura spewed some ugly, anti-teacher rhetoric.

The Associated Press quoted Ventura commenting about teachers who say they're underpaid. "They're doing all right:' Ventura said. "Multiply it into a full year. How many days off do they get? Every other month, there's a teacher this, a teacher that. They're off school for this, off school for that."

Is this Ventura's idea of giving the voters what they want?

Charles Harder Eagan, Minnesota

Academic Freedom

commiserate with Derrick Neill and the battle over censorship in his classroom (My Turn. April). As yearbook advisor. I came under attack in my second year for a photograph of a boy and a girl, posing for the "Most Humorous" Senior Favorites. by standing in the boys' room.

The following year. the attacks were more preposterous. I was disciplined for including a photograph of quarterback Brett Favre in the yearbook-the year the Packers won the Super Bowl and the school held a Packer rally in the gym. After that straw. this camel walked to higher ground in a better school district.

Kim Fend ke

Portage. Wisconsin

haven't read Derrick Neill's book, so I can't comment on its content-or on why some parents wanted to ban it.

But I was bothered that a teacher who claims to fight "for public schools that allow all voices to be heard" also believes that teacher-sponsored religious clubs and theories other than evolution have no place in public education.

A true champion of intellectual freedom should make room for all avenues of thought, not just his own.

Richard Towr Elgin, Illinois Suspension Support

t's tempting to say that teachers and support staff should be able to suspend students (Debate, April), but often the incident precipitating the decision to suspend is an emotional one.

I wouldn't want to be the teacher who's brought up on charges, valid or not. of violating a student's civil rights. Let's hope teachers who make the call have supportive administrators, willing to stand behind them. Robe)l Rit; er

Bergenfield, New Jersey Teaching to the Test

Bemoaning the fact that we have to "teach to the test" undermines our competency as professional educators (Cover story, March). Any teacher worth his or her salt knows you don't "teach to the test." You teach to the objective.

A fundamental principle in the teaching-learning process is instructional alignment. The objectives have to be clearly defined, and content material, classroom activities. and tests must be consistent with the objectives.

If we are to be held accountable for student academic achievement, we must, at the very minimum, know what students are to know and be able to do, be given adequate resources to teach. and be assured that assessments are appropriate to the objectives. Jack Gallegos

Englewood, Colorado

Don't Get Mad?

ob Chase's "quit your crying and get these kids ready" stance on standardized tests (President's Viewpoint. March) is exactly the advice we teachers don't need. Chase sounds more like my superintendent than the president of my union!

It's obvious that our members seriously question the purpose and validity of state standardized tests. Has the NEA become so focused on the middle-of-theroad approach that its own members' feelings are ignored?

We should begin to question if the existence of these tests and the linking of their results to teacher evaluations are mere evidence of the NEA and its affiliates' growing political weakness

Jerry Mulvihill Park Ridge, Illinois

ob Chase suggests that we shrug our shoulders and make the best of the bad reality we've been handed by policy makers rallying around high standards and high-stakes tests.

I believe educators lost this war when we took John Dewey's works on American education out of our souls and put them on library shelves. To Dewey, democratic practices should be part of the warp and weave of institutional life for young people. And, more remarkably. institutions must be ready to redefine their mission and practices based on the needs of each cohort of students.

Chase says, "Don't get mad, get ready!" I suggest just the opposite: Get mad, get really mad, and strive to take over the rhetoric of education reform in ways that are just and humane, and can help children become just and humane.

David Asia

Mount Vernon, Washington

Tests and Evaluations

The debater who thinks student test scores should be used to evaluate teachers has a very limited, naive view (Debate, March).

If a principal doesn't have the will to evaluate teachers properly, the principal should receive a poor evaluation.

If principals don't have time to evaluate teachers, they should use other methods, such as peer evaluation. taped evaluations. or evaluations every other year.