Readers write: What about the kids who are falling behind?
Loading...
The kids need our attention
I was taken aback by the commentary 鈥淎merican school kids are doing all right鈥� in the Oct. 17 issue. The article cites a study conducted by Harvard University, but no other information was given other than a glowing report about 7 million national academic test results between 1971 and 2017 and how high the levels of learning were.聽
Well, the latest assessment of our kids nationally is much more dire. One example: National test results just released showed in stark terms the pandemic鈥檚 devastating effects on American schoolchildren, with the performance of 9-year-olds in math and reading dropping to the levels from two decades ago.聽
This year, for the first time since the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests began tracking student achievement in the 1970s, 9-year-olds lost ground in math, and scores in reading fell by the largest margin in more than 30 years. The declines spanned almost all races and income levels and were markedly worse for the lowest-performing students. Students in the bottom 10th percentile dropped by 12 points in math, four times the impact.聽Peggy G. Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics is quoted as saying, 鈥淚 was taken aback by the scope and the magnitude of the decline.鈥� Our kids are not doing all right and are falling way behind the scholastic levels of comparably aged students in other countries.聽聽
Class sizes must be reduced, and more individual attention given to each student in public schools. And I am sure a public school near you would welcome volunteer help in the classroom.
John Burk
Santa Barbara, California
Lifetime of John Gould
鈥淛ohn Gould still waits to welcome you home鈥� in the Oct. 17 issue was a soft breeze on a summer day, awakening many memories of my youth. You see, my father used to read Mr. Gould鈥檚 鈥淒ispatch From the Farm鈥� to the family every Friday evening. Mr. Gould鈥檚 stories were ever delightful and witty and often brought a tear to the eye, be it one of joy or one touched by his profound humanity and grace.
My father was one of those Greek Americans who embraced philoxenia, which literally means 鈥渓ove of the stranger,鈥� the Greek word for hospitality. So it was not surprising that he reached out directly to Mr. Gould and formed a relationship by correspondence that continued until Mr. Gould鈥檚 death. When I left home and later married, I carried on my dad鈥檚 tradition, reading aloud Mr. Gould鈥檚 column each week to my wife, using my best Down East accent. At first she was amused by this tradition, but then grew to love Mr. Gould鈥檚 stories.
The tale Owen Thomas related about the baseball and the train porter was a new one to me, but so 鈥淕ould.鈥� Without hesitation, I invited my dear wife of 43 years to once again sit down and listen as I read, in my best Maine accent, one more story by Mr. Gould. Ayuh!
Thanks for sharing this tribute to John Gould. And thanks to 海角大神 for being a rock of thoughtful and intelligent reporting for so many years.
John Lavrakas
Newport, Oregon
A nightly ritual
What a joy to find your tribute to John Gould! His columns in the Monitor cheered me for nearly 40 years, and his writings continue to delight me. His last 29 books line a shelf in my bedroom, and I enjoy a chapter each night before retiring. I think I鈥檓 on my fifth journey through the collection. Thanks for adding one more essay (鈥淧ockets full of memories鈥�) to the journey!
Martin E. Biemer
Louisville, Kentucky
