Dear Editor:
(In response to: ‘Local taxpayers are urged to think global,? Jim’s Jottings, The Citizen, April 4, page 7).There has been a lot of public school/teacher bashing in the media lately. Some of the bashing has been blatant and some more subliminal, such as Jim Sherman’s ‘Give our school children good teachers.? Detroit and Flint schools have been easy targets and even Presidents Bush and Obama have talked about our broken education system.
Well I live in Goodrich, and even though I have been critical of some of the district’s actions overall, I believe we have a great district and instead of serving as a foil for public education I believe our district serves as an example of what public education should be and can be. Here, parents, teachers, administrators, and of course students focus on learning. Standards are high. Expectations are high. Involvement again by teachers, parents, administrators, and students is high. Community support has been exceptional. As a result our students excel and it shows in test scores, scholarships, in music, the arts, and even I believe in our sports programs.
Mr. Sherman, our children have good teachers and I’ll bet yours do also. Parental involvement is a major factor in a child’s education. Being involved as a parent is important especially from the child’s perspective. Read to your children and they will read. Do math with your children and they will learn math. It’s as much your responsibility to instill the thirst for learning as any teachers really more of your responsibility. It’s the teacher’s and the district’s responsibility to enhance it. Ask your child about their day at school. Support your school system and everyone in it. Homework should become a misnomer it should be referred to as ‘educational enhancement? and there are an infinite number of ways to accomplish this. If you don’t believe in technology show up at your local school board meeting and tell the board that you prefer to live in the stone-age.
No one community and no one school district can hope to radically change the world. I feel Goodrich is a fine example of a work in action. Our high standards, high expectations, and involvement have led to continuing success for our children here at Goodrich.
Mark Griffiths
Goodrich