Teachers are caught in crossfire of testing, culture wars
Maureen Downey’s June 11 column, “We’re not making teaching attractive,” on the dearth of people wanting to become teachers, fell short of naming the major culprit: No Child Left Behind. This misbegotten master plan from the Bush administration requires turning kids into answer boxes and constantly testing them. There is so much they have to memorize that it’s tiresome trying to cram it all into them and disheartening to put them through the wringer endlessly. Add to this lousy pay and angry “values” parents who are just trying to impress their fellow cultists, and there is absolutely no reason to feel inclined to teach.
But it would be wrong to think these things are unrelated and represent a perfect storm. The underlying purpose of NCLB is to undermine public schools, just as the constant assault by the values battalion is. Segregationists, religious fanatics and libertarians have wanted an end to public schools for decades and have been waging a war against it. Teachers are caught in the crossfire, and that’s the reason teaching has become so unappealing as a career.
DEAN POIRIER, LILBURN
Dickens not to blame for city’s old water infrastructure
Don’t blame the mayor! Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has faced serious criticism and anger from residents and business owners due to the recent water main breaks (“Mayor, Water crisis a wake-up call,” AJC, June 6).
Atlanta’s water infrastructure is not just old; it’s ancient. This has been known for decades. No previous administration was willing to tackle the issue. It would have taken a major effort to convince citizens to bear the tax increase necessary to fund the project. That would have required considerable effort. The city chose to ignore the issue and concentrate on other projects.
Taxpayers will now pay a much higher price than they otherwise would have to correct these long-needed repairs.
EDWARD A. WATKINS, AVONDALE ESTATES
