Dear Editor,
I am responding to yet another article on the
”
sex poem.
”
One could construe from the publicity the recital received that
the teacher committed the crime of the century.
Dear Editor,
I am responding to yet another article on the “sex poem.” One could construe from the publicity the recital received that the teacher committed the crime of the century.
Were it not for the fact that we do live in the 21st century, I could almost agree on the inappropriateness of the material presented to six graders. One of my granddaughters is in Ms. Lewis class and has heard the poem. She was not shocked but thought it was funny. Our family regards Ms. Lewis as a fine dedicated teacher.
What puzzles me is why Ms. Mendoza saw fit to go public and violate the teacher’s rights. If her daughter did not know about sex, she would not have understood the sexual innuendos. Now, who is being naive here?
As a professional working in the criminal justice system, mainly with juveniles, I can assure parents that the poem read to the class is mild compared to what the children hear from their peers.
It would behoove parents to pay much more attention to the entertainment and fashion industry. Children today are bombarded with sexual and violent material, right in the comfort of their living room. The clothes on he market for girls makes them look like little Lolitas ready for work. The clothes for boys is not much better, except they look like hoods. Society wants to change morals and up the standards, that’s the place to start.
As for teachers, they have my utmost respect and support We have two family members who are educators, it’s a tough job. Students come to school ill prepared, undisciplined and disrespectful. Of course not all of them, but enough to interfere with the positive learning environment of other students, who do want to learn. Also I noticed that parents and students all seem to know their rights. There is another “R” word – responsibility – which is often left out of the equation. It is time to let the school handle the personnel matter and get off the teacher’s case.
Burga Santiago, Gilroy
