Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site pyuxa.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!houxm!mhuxl!mhuxm!pyuxww!pyuxa!wetcw
From: wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: "Talented and Gifted" program
Message-ID: <525@pyuxa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Jan-84 11:05:40 EST
Article-I.D.: pyuxa.525
Posted: Mon Jan 30 11:05:40 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 5-Feb-84 04:24:44 EST
References: <869@ihuxr.UUCP>, <1097@hlexa.UUCP>
Organization: Central Services Org., Piscataway N.J.
Lines: 34

Our school district also runs one of the "gifted" programs.  In our
program, you can only be gifted if you come from a home where the income
is somewhat more than $75,000 per year or your father or mother is
a doctor, lawyer, or owns or runs a large business (i.e. more than
5 million net).  Truely talented kids are shunted off if they do not
fit the upper crust criteria of the 3rd grade teachers.  As a result,
they are placed in a track situation which can not be changed as long
as they are in the local schools.

God forbid that a child be shy or an introvert.  They are labled dulards
and never given an opportunity to break the stigma.  Gifted programs
sound good, but the methods for choosing the participants and the
general sloppiness of their presentation leave room for criticism.

I am very upset over what credentials most teachers have for teaching a 
particular subject.  How can someone with only 6 credits of English
presume to be an expert in the field?  I can provide many many horror
stories about teachers who cannot teach the subjjects they are assigned.
Trying to get rid of them is another Pandora's Box.

The whole issue of teaching, the NEA, and tenure makes me retch.  Good
teachers are vilified by their peers while bad teachers just hang
around, messing up our children's minds.  Does anyone else have any
thoughts on how we can keep good teachers (besides raising salaries)
and break the NEA monopoly so we can get rid of the bums?

I didn't mean this to be a flame, but when it comes to teachers in
our schools today, I get up on my Hobby Horse.  And yes, I have
been a candidate for the school board.  The local teachers worked
against me as they know how I feel about some of their methods and
they were afraid I might try to dump some of them.  I would.

T. C. Wheeler