Blame students, parents for school woes

To the editor:

I have been a substitute teacher in the Clark County School District for more than five years and have heard countless times how the public school system is failing our students.

This premise is far from accurate.

By working in different schools each day, I am able to objectively gauge the quality of the specific administrations with which I deal. Not once have I heard of the lackadaisical efforts or pure indifference of the objects for whom the teachers are accountable: the students.

There are, of course, a few bad teachers out there who just want to get through the day and don’t care about the quality of their instruction. But these are a minute minority and don’t really lend credence that our school system is substandard.

The students who want to learn do so — and those who don’t want to learn, don’t. I have been told directly from students on many occasions that they “don’t need to know this stuff because the government will take care of us.”

How’s that for a generation of entitlement?

I can walk into a classroom in the morning and within five minutes know whether I am in the classroom of a good teacher. The teacher’s desk is organized, the lesson plan is clear and concise and takes the full class time to disseminate. The behavior of the students is almost always the result of my anticipated prediction.

Students mimic the work ethic of their parents. In these troubling economic times, it is difficult to discern the actual need for social programs versus the voracious handouts given to families who have given up on the need — and the desire — to earn a living.

The school system is not at fault. The mind-set of the students — and by example, their parents — is to blame.

Bruce Schowers

Las Vegas

Wisconsin vote

To the editor:

In response to your Aug. 11 editorial “Wisconsin recall”:

I can understand your need to give the GOP a positive spin about the recall elections, but the elections prove how ridiculous your editorial was.

Subsequent comments by columnists John Brummett and Charles Krauthammer were just as off-base.

Democrats did not score a complete victory, as they fell short by one seat of switching partisan control of the state Senate.

You called the first Tuesday election (Aug. 9) “a devastating loss” for the Democrats and their union allies. You, Mr. Brummett and Mr. Krauthammer all claimed nothing changed. That is a clear falsehood:

1. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has effectively lost control of the state Senate. He has a partisan majority, but one Republican voted against his anti-collective-bargaining bill and he is working closely with Democrats on a number of issues.

2. The recall election took place on Republican turf, and the Democrats won five out of nine races. Gov. Walker last November carried the area of the first Tuesday election by more than 100,000 votes and Republicans won that area by just 50,000 votes. This spells trouble next year when Democrats plan to have a recall election on Gov. Walker.

3. You mention heavy spending by the Democrats, but never say anything about spending by Republicans. The billionaire John Birch Society and brothers Charles and David Koch far outspent them.

Gov. Walker suddenly wants to work with the Senate minority leader on “job creation.” And in Ohio, Gov. John Kasich wants Democrats to drop a referendum on repealing an even more drastic measure, offering to soften the law.

Ray A. Cohn

Las Vegas