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OPINION

Teachers open doors to what the future holds

Letter
Comments (10)

Sunday, November 22, 2009

(Updated 4:35 am)

When you think of a hero, everyone looks for a story. It usually involves a life being saved by another through some heroic act.
I submit to you that there are heroes all among us who save lives every day. They are known to us by their acts of kindness and go by the title of teacher. They are everyday citizens from all walks of life making a difference in every life they touch.

A teacher is someone with the gift to empower another person’s mind in a way like no other. They speak to the heart of each person they touch and instill hope, determination and perseverance.
You cannot put a price on knowledge that opens doors to what the future holds.

Cheryl E. Chavis
Greensboro

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neocon

November 22, 2009 - 8:12 am EST

mmm...mmm...mmm!

Lakeshia

November 22, 2009 - 10:11 am EST

Which teacher or group of teachers is responsible for the recent high school graduate now working at my local McDonalds who is totally unable to make change without the help of a cash register cum calculator?

left-wing conspiracy theorist

November 22, 2009 - 10:18 am EST

I think a more appropriate and more telling question is who are their parents and why haven't they taken a more active role in their education and achievment?

I guarantee these McDonlad's cashiers were offered at least one math class from a competent teacher that could teach them these skills.

danagain

November 22, 2009 - 3:27 pm EST

"I think a more appropriate and more telling question is who are their parents and why haven't they taken a more active role in their education and achievment?"

Gotta go with LWCT on this one. Teachers can only do so much with 20+ kids, parents are key.

One thing I noticed with my kid's school, they teach nothing about geography. I asked their teachers and they said it wasn't taught due to lack of time. No problem, it can be taught at home.

Get A Clue

November 22, 2009 - 10:29 am EST

Lakeshia,
I'm not surprised you confuse nutritional sustenance with eating at McDonald's.
Nice try. Thanks for playing.

to Ms. Chavis:
Speaking as a retired teacher...I would change but one word of your letter. I'd add the word "good" before each use of the word teacher. Like any other profession, there are good and not-so-good. No need to beatify all teachers to make a valid point about the value of education.

johnking

November 22, 2009 - 12:33 pm EST

You are a very ingorant minded individual. Since you are always so critical of teachers, why don't you enroll at one of the local universities and obtain an education degree and see how long you last in a classroom. Also, since you're a heaven bound racist republican, I would like to nominate you for a position at Dudley High School, HaHaHa

rightwingnemesis

November 22, 2009 - 2:08 pm EST

Mr. johnking,
I can only surmise you are speaking to either neocon, or Lakeshia--but actually could be both. Tip of the hat to neo for not going into his usual rant against education, which usually ends up showing how little of it he has actually received.
Suffice to say we have all been impacted by a "good teacher" or even many "good teachers". While I am not an educator, I do know that the curriculum students are taking today is much more difficult than 40 years ago. For instance, students are taking math courses once placed in high school, in earlier grades. With Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate curriculums being offered today, the 'slower' students are receiving what were once called "College Prep" classes, equal to the top level courses taught years ago. Yes, there is always the cop out of failing schools and failing students, but overall things are not as bad as they appear. The NCLB Act may have been well intentioned, it is arguably one of the most punitive unfunded mandates ever championed. With that said, Guilford County Schools has some good and some great teachers. Like "Get a Clue" said, there are some rotten apples as with any vocation, but overall we are quite fortunate.

neocon

November 22, 2009 - 4:02 pm EST

"overall we are quite fortunate"...

'I had to chuckle' when I read Mr. rightwingnemesis' opinion of our failing government schools which is no doubt viewed through his/her rose colored glasses:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4732319&page=1

"A study this week from Strong American Schools reports that 40 percent of seniors still do not understand the math they were taught in the eighth grade. And an earlier study from Common Core found that nearly a quarter cannot identify Adolph Hitler, more than half cannot place the American Civil War in the right century, and a third do not know that the Bill of Rights guarantees free speech."

But you can bet your ass they know how to stretch a condom over a cucumber...

mmm...mmm...mmm!

mamaboilermaker

November 22, 2009 - 5:33 pm EST

I have to disagree with you about the rigor of the curriculum. Yes, there are students in AP classes--students who would excel in spite of their schools. There are also kids being shoved into algebra and given calculators because they have not yet mastered arithmetic. And don't get me started on my pet peeve, the "geometry" textbooks. I had to pull out an old textbook and teach my daughter geometry because the "special" NC version of the geometry textbook is not a precept upon precept presentation of geometry--it is, rather, a fragmented, colorfully-illustrated monstrosity.

As for language skills, I rate articles for a self-publishing site and am continually horrified by the total lack of spelling and grammar skills even in those people that consider themselves good enough to publish an article. I think our grandparents had a more rigorous curriculum, and they had to do what they did without calculators or computers.

BTW, I do not fault teachers. The fault lies with the "curriculum experts" who mandate what the teachers must teach.

ravencottage

November 22, 2009 - 6:14 pm EST

Some teachers and instructors I had in elementary and high school are among the worst people I have ever encountered. It is a wonder I survived. This would have been in the 50's and 60's in Henry County Virginia but I will never forget. I rather doubt much has changed.