DEAR EDITOR:
First off, I am glad that Sharon Flanagan read enough of my
column to come to the conclusion that honors classes should be
offered to qualified students. I just wish she had read the whole
column.
DEAR EDITOR:
First off, I am glad that Sharon Flanagan read enough of my column to come to the conclusion that honors classes should be offered to qualified students. I just wish she had read the whole column. Her letter to the editor chastising me (and my daughter) is chock full of misplaced indignation. Sharon asks if I think we should write off every 14 year old that does not test at grade level. No we shouldn’t, but we should make sure they get on grade level as soon as possible.
I don’t think the situation is hopeless or a waste of time, even though the resources it takes are considerable. You are obviously predisposed to think that any parent demanding a quality program in Gilroy is being elitist. I disagree with that premise. I doubt you would consider it elitist if a parent with limited English skills demanded that the district provide a program for their child.
Sharon, I would never say that any 14-year-old child was lame. I did say many are underachieving, because that is the truth. Too many of our kids are testing three or four years below grade level. Testing is not the be all and end all, but it is a measurement tool. Compared to children nationwide, too many of our kids are far behind. I did say that there are students making a “third lame attempt” at geometry.
My daughter opted not to take geometry this year, because it would have required her to leave Brownell and go to Gilroy High. There are a few Brownell students in that class, along with some high school seniors making a third try at passing geometry. Personally, I find it unacceptable for my eighth grader to be in a class with 11th and 12th graders, so she is not taking that class. If you can’t pass geometry on the third try, you are not putting in the effort required. You may disagree, but I consider the constant retaking of classes to be lame attempts when they are unsuccessful year after year.
I am extremely open minded when it comes to educating our children. I support the Slingerland program, the dual-immersion program and other programs that work. I do not support programs that only serve to make students feel better about themselves while they fall further behind academically.
Sharon, you haven’t had the good fortune to know my daughter. She gives back more at age 13 than most adults in Gilroy. In addition to tutoring, she is involved in several charitable causes. She considers it an honor to be able to give back to this community since she has been so blessed. She is not only ready for this changing world, she is already changing it.
Denise Baer Apuzzo, Gilroy
Submitted Friday, Nov. 15 to ed****@ga****.com
