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From: mjl@ritcv.UUCP (Mike Lutz)
Newsgroups: net.cse
Subject: Re: Teachers
Message-ID: <796@ritcv.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 13-Nov-83 08:40:42 EST
Article-I.D.: ritcv.796
Posted: Sun Nov 13 08:40:42 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 14-Nov-83 03:13:28 EST
References: cbosgd.573
Lines: 26

I graduated from high school back in the middle ages (1966), so my feelings
about my experience probably do not jive well with the current state of af-
fairs.  In any event, I can't recall any teacher who I really hated, nor any
who seemed to be sadistic, ego-tripping, megamaniacal monsters.  On the other
hand, I remember several who, in one way or another, made a significant posi-
tive impression on me.  Like my physics teacher who taught us *physics* for 35
weeks then spent 5 weeks drilling us on what the NYS Board of Regents
*thought* was physics (so we could pass the state exams).  Or my senior year
English teacher, who did more to expand my intellectual horizons than any oth-
er teacher I had before college (it was a class in which everyone was disap-
pointed when the period ended).

Now I'm following my daughter's progress, and so far she's been fortunate to
have excellent, highly motivated teachers.  Such persons do still exist, but
they're getting harder to find as the incentives that once drew competent pro-
fessionals into teaching become disincentives.  In its infinite wisdom, New
York State has decided that increasing the school year by 10 days is the
answer to declining student test scores and general aptitude.  This, of
course, simply glosses over the real problems, since the current school year
was sufficient back when test scores were at their highest levels.  The real
problem is to make teaching an attractive profession once again, and to find
some way to rid the system of the incompetents who filled the void in the
past.

Mike Lutz
{allegra,seismo}!rochester!ritcv!mjl