Opinion
Smoky Mountain News
22
Let’s try to avoid pitfalls when school reopens N
Political opinion, not common sense To the Editor: The Oxford dictionary has a couple of different definitions of common sense; my favorite being “good judgment and behavior in practical matters,” like checking the tires on my car once a week or wearing a face mask in public until a vaccine can be had. However, the definition being used by Jeff Minick and author Robert Curry in last week's book review is different in that they are talking about the common opinions of citizens unfettered by education and well-reasoned factbased thinking. Even further, they are referencing typical Republican talking points; thus, Curry and his sycophant Minick lambast the efforts of government, declaring that. “Giving money and power to the government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” Along the way, they manage to promote other Republican attack points, from promoting Trump’s deficit destroying and pointless — from a practical point of view — southern border wall, ridiculing the recommendations of well-educated and experienced health experts in combating the Coronavirus Pandemic, subtly denigrating scientific efforts and research to address the very real gender identity crisis that many people suffer, equating “socialism” and dictatorship as if anyone wishes to go down that road (the important political discussion going on now is about how far we take our country toward democratic socialism, a
and educational experiences. They are clearly at an advantage over those who lack similar access to the internet and adults at home to teach and facilitate learning. Children with increased needs such as those eligible for special education and those not yet fluent in English may also be behind some of their more advantaged peers. How will we try to educate them in the reopening of brick-and-mortar schools? Let’s avoid asking more of them and their families because they may need more. They are victims of the circumstances and should not be treated like being “behind” is their choice. Let’s accept them where they are without assigning blame and asking them to “work Guest Columnist harder” to make up for what they missed. Sure, we should provide them with opportunities to succeed like educators are inclined to do, but let’s not blame them for not having internet, for not having adults with ample resources to teach and guide them, for having a disability or for not being fluent in English. It’s not their fault; take them as they are and give them all we have to help them succeed. Pitfall 2: The second pitfall concerns what to do when the supply of well-qualified teachers is tight or runs dry as educators either contract the virus or are unwilling to risk exposure.
Dale Carpenter
orth Carolina public schools will reopen while the COVID-19 Pandemic is still with us and it is impossible to predict what will happen as we try to cope with the complexity of it all. Parents, educators and students are learning to adjust day by day to changing conditions. The pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities for the education system and our overall infrastructure and laid bare what we already knew about the divide among those with advantages and those in poverty. Children of poverty have less access to opportunities, and we don’t need test scores to determine where schools and their students struggle — schools with more children of poverty experience less success than those with fewer children of poverty. North Carolina is also not a state with a surplus supply of licensed teachers; we still rely on importing teachers from other states to work in hard-to-staff schools. We should be aware of two predictable challenges as we reopen schools and avoid tempting solutions that may not be in our best interests. Pitfall 1: During the pandemic, children who have access to the internet and adults at home who have helped them to remain engaged and active in learning will likely be ready. They have participated in Zoom sessions with teachers, taken advantage of the increasing education resource base online of video lessons, skill development programs, exploration activities and guides for parents. They have had adults who have the time, education and wherewithal to provide stimulating
LETTERS quite different animal), and even slip in a subtle attack on the VA. Of course there is a scapegoat; the “progressive elite,” a cabal of folks so well educated that they are, by some unnamed and unknown process, rendered unable to recognize reality on its face and at the same time viewing the ordinary citizen as stupid and needing the nanny state. Well, I am one of those well-educated progressive folks, but even with those twin debilitating conditions I know that the stuff these guys are talking about is not reality, as they would have you believe. It is not reality that the border wall will work for any important purpose except to waste tax dollars, divert military funding and satisfy Trumpian political ambition. It is not reality that the Covid-19 crisis will abate without masks, social distancing, and quarantines. It is not reality that gender identity problems are solved once one simply identifies oneself as being biologically of one sex or the other. It is not reality to claim that our country is in danger of becoming a dictatorship unless progressive thinkers are ignored. Furthermore, it is insulting and damaging to disparage the learning, brains and opinions of those who are a direct important result of our collective commitment to education, which provides our citizenry the best hope to achieve our ideals. I have had enough experience in life to be able to see this kind of thing for what it truly is, an “angry right-wing bit of bombast,” (Exactly what Minick denies, not surprising-
Students and educators will continue to contract COVID-19 until we have an effective and available vaccine. What will we do when teachers get the virus? It was already difficult for some schools to find substitutes before the pandemic. It will be more difficult to find qualified and trained substitutes during the pandemic, when expectations and risks are increased. There is likely to be a temptation in desperate times to waive our standards for hiring teachers. Let’s not accept any “warm-bodied” individual to educate our children. We now have highly trained professionals, albeit undercompensated, who showed in the last third of the past school year that they can pivot on a dime and still provide education. Let’s plan to keep up the momentum when schools reopen and some of these professionals get sick. Retirees who are often part of the substitute teacher pool may not be willing to risk exposure. Schools are likely already planning to use school administrators who are in most cases successful and experienced teachers, but that is not a big group. Let’s train more teachers, increase the pay and develop a plan to staff classrooms with the best possible educators and not rely on unprepared adults to care for and teach our most precious resource — our children — when they need us most. Dale Carpenter is a professor of special education and former dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions at Western Carolina University.
ly). Stating their opinions are fine by me, since I have a deep respect for the First Amendment, but I do not tolerate without challenge folks who cover up their very real lack of understanding and appreciation of the complexity of human and societal dilemmas, and what is necessary in education and training to deal with those dilemmas. Promoting common sense, as done by these writers, turns out to be an empty attempt to elevate the status of conservative partisan opinions, and to lower the status of educated and researched opinions, all for the purpose of having their favorite political opinions prevail. Rick Wirth Bryson City
Superintendent Nolte should resign To the Editor: Haywood County’s School Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte sent shock waves through a decent percentage of the community by posting a tone deaf racially charged meme on Facebook. By now I’d say followers of news and social media have seen the depiction of a rural white family picking cotton suggesting that not everyone who picked cotton was not black. Sure, lots of farming families picked cotton. We’re in Appalachia. Plenty of us grew up in families where self-sufficiency was the only means of survival. But it does not invalidate the struggles of the Black community. Nor does it erase history. It is easy to see
through coded language. White people were never enslaved on American soil or forced to pick cotton (refusal was violence, even death). The fact that Dr. Nolte even feels comfortable in posting such a meme is troubling. Dr. Nolte is a well-educated man who holds a position of great responsibility. Leaders should be held to a higher standard. Perception is everything. I do not know what is in Dr. Nolte’s heart nor do I pretend to understand his logic or where his reasoning springs from in regards to his choice. Though many educators, administrators and members of the community seem to stand in support of Dr. Nolte, I’m completely disappointed that he has not been asked by the school board to tender his resignation. This choice he made is dangerous. Despite his years of service to our school system, this is the dawning of a new day. We need a superintendent who will evaluate the weight of their thoughts and opinions before freely posting on social media. The Haywood County School Board needs new blood. We need a leader who understands diversity, encourages Black history education, and isn’t afraid to develop a comprehensive training and education program on race in America. Some say Dr. Nolte has a right to free speech. He absolutely does. However, free speech does not come without consequences. If we’re to allow Dr. Nolte’s indiscretion, what example are we teaching our children? Our
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LOOKING FOR OPINIONS: The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. info@smokymountainnews.com
