ELL money could go long way elsewhere
To the editor:
Kudos to R.J. Palyo for his letter in the June 17 Review-Journal (“Save money, learn English”). The state is spending $50 million for English Language Learner programs? Wow.
Can you imagine what that much money could do in the Clark City School District? We could provide more pay for teachers. How about giving all the maintenance workers back the money that was taken from them with two pay cuts? These people are the ones who keep our schools running in proper order.
As Mr. Palyo said, English is our national language. These students are never going to learn English, because their parents speak Spanish to them at home. If an English-speaking child went to Mexico for school, do you honestly think the Mexican government would spend money like we do to teach that child Spanish? If you think so, think again.
GERRY BAXTER
HENDERSON
License language
To the editor:
Al Dutt’s letter to the editor (“Driver’s cards,” June 19) echoes a number of letters to the Review-Journal in recent years. The writers are upset that the written part of the driver’s license test can be taken in a foreign language. No English, no license, they say.
They might want to rethink this. What if the rest of the world retaliated? Japan, for instance. Are Americans prepared to learn 3,500 Kanji characters?
ROY GROSSER
LAS VEGAS
Electronics in schools
To the editor:
Jeff Alpert’s commentary on his experience with students and their electronics in high school is, unfortunately, accurate and apparently commonplace here in Clark County (“Get iPods, cellphones out of classrooms,” Thursday Review-Journal letters). Having experienced firsthand the same situation in Virginia Beach City public schools, teachers were happy when the district implemented an “if we see it, you lose it” policy.
Once the policy was implemented, few violations occurred. If a student violated the policy, the teacher confiscated the device, turned it over to the office, and an administrator would call the parent to pick it up. The policy worked because students didn’t want that to happen to them, and for most, it never did.
Students were allowed to have the phones in their lockers to use before and after school, but not during the school day. No doubt, some brought them in and used them on restroom breaks, but they weren’t in the classroom disrupting instruction, and some of those students were caught and had their gadgets taken away.
The fact that the Clark County School District hasn’t even considered this workable solution is a reflection of why our schools are nowhere near where they should be.
BOB FOESSETT
NORTH LAS VEGAS
Teaching wisdom
To the editor:
As a man of numbers, forms, and, I’m sure, sensible shoes, accountant Richard Pulsifer belittles those of us with a liberal arts degree (“Get a real degree,” June 14 Review-Journal letters). As any extraordinarily dull certified public accountant could tell you, it’s impossible, even working day and night, to pay off a college degree nowadays.
Mr. Pulsifer, think of all the future accountants with limited resources and imaginations. They might never have a chance to go to college and bore future generations with their zeal for numbers and calculations in accordance with federal tax laws.
Winston Churchill said, “The first duty of the university is to teach wisdom, not a trade.” Nobody cares who did Mr. Churchill’s taxes.
ELIZABETH COOK
LAS VEGAS
