In a resounding mandate, Glenda Ritz garnered an excess of 100,000 more votes than Indiana Governor Elect Mike Pence. What does it mean? What does this say about the proposals of the losing Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Bennett? Teachers alone could not have done this. Indiana parents and many other taxpayers crossed party lines to kick out Superintendent Bennett and what he has been doing to Indiana classrooms.
At Fairfield High School, I asked Bennett to tell us how his proposed assessment to reward and/or fire teachers would give credit for improvements in our students’ creative thinking. He immediately changed the subject. He knew that his plans kill teacher and student creativity. Under his proposals, more students learn to hate school and hate learning. Governor-elect Pence wants to continue Bennett’s standardized testing, vouchers, and lower teacher certification standards.
Having been a teacher for more than 40 years, in retirement I publish a teaching/learning website. I receive emails from across America from frustrated uncertified teachers. They work for lower salaries in private schools. They agonize over students who are unable and/or unwilling to learn. They now realize they should have learned ways to motivate kids to try, to focus, and to love learning.
Studies confirm that charter schools, on average, do worse than public schools. Privatization, reducing teacher preparation, and standardized state testing (Bennett’s, Daniels’ and Pence’s answer) will dumb-down Indiana classrooms.
Testing that depends on standardized single-answer questions diminishes minds. A-plus teachers help us learn to ask better questions and propose better answers to questions that have many answers.
Tell state Sen. Carlin Yoder, Rep. Wes Culver and Gov.-elect Pence that you support Glenda Ritz’s leadership. Tell them to stop spending our taxes on vouchers. Insist on strong teacher certification requirements, and evaluate student improvement in their ability to ask better questions.
— Marvin Bartel
Goshen
Letters to the Editor
Election of Ritz illustrates a point
- Letters to the Editor
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Safety along C.R. 35 is a concern
This letter is meant to bring awareness and hopefully corrections in regard to C.R. 35 in Elkhart County. Something needs to be done immediately to enforce the laws pertaining to the use of C.R. 35.
- Emphasis on gun control makes you wonder
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Goshen should stick with ‘Redskins’
I must respond to the letter to the editor from Mr. Ron Chupp (The Goshen News, May 9). What’s in a name, Mr. Chupp? I too have a Native American heritage, and for some reason, I am not offended by the term Redskins, or brown skins or any other color of skins.
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More important issues than a nickname
I would like to, in the most respectful way possible, respond to Mr. Chupp’s letter (The Goshen News, May 9) regarding the ongoing debate over the term “Redskins” being used as the nickname and mascot for the Goshen school system.
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There is hope through God
May I share what happened to me after praying about the issue of whether to have guns carried by school authorities at Goshen High School. While calling out to God, my question was: Why have we as a nation come to trusting in government agencies, such as Homeland Security, rather than obeying the Constitution in what you have declared through our forefathers?
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Sheriff has this reader's support
This letter is in defense of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and in response to Shari Mellin’s letter (The Goshen News, May 8) about Sheriff Brad Rogers not obeying the laws related to anti-gun legislation
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‘Redskins’ nickname is offensive
The question posed (in the May 5 edition) was, “What’s in a Name?” In the case of the GHS (Redskins) mascot, it is insult, degradation, racism, and an ongoing slap-in-the face reminder of the disgusting manner in which my Native American ancestors were treated by Europeans.
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Millrace projects threaten a Goshen gem
The city of Goshen is in the 11th hour for the five Redevelopment Commission members to hear the voices of its residents concerning the millrace redevelopment proposals at its next meeting at 4 p.m. on May 14.
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We don’t need a community center
We want to keep this short and to the point. We keep reading articles and letters in the papers about the proposed community center in Goshen. Our question is why?
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Freedom-loving Americans want our country back
We are living in unprecedented times. The “America” of today is not the America that many of us grew up in.
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Safety along C.R. 35 is a concern
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