Previous Story
Cheap shot
|
Posted on Nov 02 2005
In an attempt to take a cheap shot at the governor, Rep. Heinz Hofschneider insulted me as a Language Arts Teacher, my colleagues, my students and the rest of the students at my school by declaring that SSHS students “cannot even put a sentence together.” As someone who has read far more student sentences than Hofschnieder, I can offer a more experienced view that many students can write perfectly fine sentences. Others are adequate but still developing their skills, and some others are coming from a limited English background and are struggling. Those in the latter group could certainly use financial support for the schools rather than public insults. A lack of leadership on the part of people like Hofschneider hasn’t helped. PSS has not had a budget increase since 1999. What has Hofschneider been doing all that time? I’m guessing he wasn’t writing sonnets or his novel.
This is 2005 and computers are a vital educational tool, as they are in all fields. My classroom has wireless Internet, and all the classrooms at SSHS have digital projectors that teachers and students alike use for PowerPoint presentations and other multimedia offerings. A computer with Internet is almost like having your own personal library, not to mention multimedia device, writing tool and countless other possibilities. I’m hoping Hofschneider’s grand idea isn’t to provide typewriters for the class of 2006 so they can be prepared for 1966.
Jeffrey C. Turbitt
Language Arts Department, SSHS
