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Textbook
Cases
To
the Editor:
Thanks
to Tom Hilliard for his important article [“The Education
Censors,” March 24].
The mission of a textbook company is to make a profit (a big
profit). The mission of a school library is to provide a wide
variety of curriculum-related resources for teachers and students.
Good New York state teachers (with the help and encouragement
of their school library media specialists) fight the influence
of the Texas textbook police every day in their classrooms.
They use textbooks seldom, if at all. Instead these teachers
use carefully selected documents, articles, “real” books,
maps, videos and a variety of other teaching materials. This
variety serves two purposes. It helps teachers avoid the political
slant and the misinformation that is often in textbooks and
it helps them to address the needs of the different types
of learners in their classrooms.
Good teachers encourage their students to read widely about
a variety of topics. The best antidote to the problems with
today’s textbooks is a well-stocked, up-to-date school library.
Unfortunately, school libraries are not doing well in New
York state. Most are underfunded and understaffed. Sometimes
our kids are stuck with these politicized textbooks because
their library is woefully inadequate or outdated. Isn’t it
expensive to provide a quality library program with a certified
librarian and a generous book budget? You bet it is! Is it
worth it? Absolutely.
Linda
Fox
Director, Capital Region BOCES School Library System
Ballston Lake
To the Editor:
I
couldn’t take it anymore . . .
How could I not speak up and say something . . .
It’s one thing to sit back and read it, while bobbing your
head in agreeance . . .
But in all reality, we live in a day and age when you can’t
just bob your head,
What’s scarier . . . it’s dangerous to disagree . . .
That’s what scares me . . .
It gets even crazier . . .
check this . . .
I was born and raised a Republican . . .
All I know was Reagan was the Chosen One . . .
I realized I could not sit back and bob my head anymore while
sitting in the Lark Street Tavern. I was there with my father,
enjoying lunch, celebrating a successful year back at college.
It was great. We were waiting for my food and I picked up
Metroland for several reasons: The people you see inside
you actually know, and it acknowledges the accomplishments
of locals . . . but also because sometimes you read things
that you can’t believe are going on in the world!
People I urge you, we have become so spoiled, we forget to
keep track of what’s really going on. We have actually forgotten
what our country was based on. Do you truly remember? Think
back to the feeling you had when you first heard about freedom
[and] equal opportunity. . . . I know, the context is broad,
but that initial feeling of when you realized how blessed
we were to be Americans.
What prompted this letter was the article about sex education.
Now realize I have read articles on gay rights and weddings,
but could never speak up, for fear people would say “just
another queer wanting to get married,” but when I read that
article, I realized we really are running completely amok.
It’s more than just the issues when the government regulates
our children’s understanding of the options out there other
than abstinence. Don’t get me wrong, the absolute 100-percent
way to stay clean and not get pregnant is abstinence. It’s
guaranteed, but in all reality. . . . People we have all been
there.
Jason
Falkner
Albany
Metroland
welcomes typed, double-spaced letters (computer printouts
OK), addressed to the editor. Or you may e-mail them to: metroland@metroland.net.
Metroland reserves the right to edit letters for length; 300
words is the preferred maximum. You must include your name,
address and day and evening telephone numbers. We will not
publish letters that cannot be verified, nor those that are
illegible, irresponsible or factually inaccurate.
Send
to:
Letters, Metroland, 4 Central Ave.,
4th Floor, Albany, NY 12210
or e-mail us at metroland@metroland.net.
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Columns
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