Dear Editor,
I have two kids in Gilroy Unified schools and am very happy with
the education my children are receiving. Both are at Rucker. I love
the school!
Dear Editor,
I have two kids in Gilroy Unified schools and am very happy with the education my children are receiving. Both are at Rucker. I love the school!
Our teachers in GUSD are forced to deal with parents that don’t participate in the education process. People come into this country not speaking the native language. Therefore they are not a partner in the education system and can provide no help with homework. The teachers try to do their best, but the odds are stacked against them. Now the district wants to put in an Accountability Plan for teachers. How about an Accountability Plan for the parents of students who aren’t performing? All of this extra effort without accountability for the parents of the non-performing students just doesn’t make sense to me.
My son’s first-grade teacher, Kristin Spencer, has children that didn’t speak English when they came to GUSD, and she also has a child with learning disabilities. Those children are learning in ways that can’t be measured by standardized tests. They add a lot to the classroom and society in general.
If they learn English phrases, can sit still and pay attention in class, that is a big win for both her and the child. She has to manage those children along with keeping my son, who is an above average student, challenged. By the way she has lit a fire in my son for learning that just won’t stop all while managing children who have different needs. She moves the class right along.
We are very blessed in our district to have very competent teachers that care about the children of Gilroy. As a society we have to educate these children. Ms. Spencer has helped me appreciate this process and understand that you put different expectations on different children.
The parents of “low-performing students” are being let off a little too easy. If they are held accountable, they just might take more of an active role the education process.
GUSD has some tough problems to solve and I am very impressed by Superintendent Edwin Diaz. He’s not afraid to tackle the tough problems and has made a huge difference in the district.
I don’t know what the right answer is. I understand the concept for an accountability system, but it needs to be on a sliding scale based on the background of the children to make it fair for the teachers.
Debbie Nash, Gilroy
