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Education
Issues 
You know, I've lived all
over the country and the scores always show the local school as above average.
Isn't it interesting that everybody is above average and there are no serious
problems to be considered?
The last I heard, we don't
have problems with dropouts, drugs, sex, violence, discrimination
or discipline. Everybody gets individual attention, all the special
help necessary, quality skills and heads off to continued education
and/or a good job. What is your experience?
Write and let us know 
6/16/98 Recent research shows
that the average IQ of Americans is "dropping". Partly due to pollution
(? brain damage?), drugs, alcohol,
tobacco, and not "culling" the most defective genes as natural selection
once did.
It frightens
me to think that people with lower IQ's, attending less effective schools;
enter a military
which has lowered it's requirements
to a 3rd grade reading level, are the people who are supposedly going
to protect me and my country.
Weapons training manuals now contain pictures of how to hold a rifle, because
such a large percentage of high school graduates cannot read well enough
to interpret "front", "end with the hole", etc.
This scares me more than the thought that some moronic foreign power
invading!!!
Sad but true,
Tom Thompson
6/7/98 What needs to be
done on this issue? Besides the fact the paper says they wrote the petition
wrong. (Leave it to teachers to do it wrong).
Can
we get rid of all the teachers this way too? Maybe start over with
some that: a) give a damn, b) know what they're doing,
and c) will work for realistic wages and not demand top of the scale
pay checks.
Tom Thompson / shaho
1/31/98 Actually, I was surprised to find
the help that was made available for my child, who has been in special
ed for all her school years. I went to the school with the notion
that they were not going to agree with our wishes, and they in turn dove
in and got to work. I am very pleased with their reaction to my requests
and they have followed it through. I think it's a matter of the parent
taking the time to meet with the school before making a judgement.
Thanks, Dan Hoadley
Nice
to hear about a success story, Dan - most of what I see are the failures.
When I came up here it looked like the perfect setting for a top education
for all children - clean environment, plenty of educational funding, well
paid teachers and small classrooms - boy have I been disappointed!. I'm
not positively impressed either with our various administrations or the
overall group of people teaching - and won't be until I stop seeing kids
who can't read and/or are so completely lacking in critical thinking skills.
You're right on parent participation though - parents must take as much
time and push as hard as needed to assure their children get what they
need. An occasional note or coffee klatch complaint just doesn't
do it. ---Editor
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