Letter to the Editor

An ISTEP article that makes sense

Sunday, November 22, 2015

To the editor:

Finally an ISTEP article makes sense!

The 11-16-15 Opinion Page finally says something that makes sense to this "old" educator (student, teacher, principal, superintendent and 12-year school board member.) ISTEP is sucking the joy out of teaching and learning, according to Teresa Meredith and almost every educator I have talked to in recent months.

Meredith is President of the Indiana State Teachers Association and a 20-year classroom teacher. The writer of this article (a 65-year veteran of teacher/student relationships) says AMEN.

Brothers and sisters, State Superintendent Ritz get a grip -- you should discontinue your support of "super tests" taking time away from the genuine classroom learning of teacher-student relationship. It does not give adequate credit to the time stolen from our Hoosier Student Education.

Throw "teaching to the test" and the lesson building around the test format out the window. Let us admit that there are those veterans (like myself) of the actual classroom saying "that teaching today is designated to meet the needs of the testing industry"... and a "Burgess" added statement in the area of dollars and cents.

How much money is spent of the classroom budget in Hoosier Schools versus Clay County Schools?

Give me a dollar amount Mr. Clay County Superintendent.

We should begin to use our own measuring device.

How much success... employment, society contributions and good citizens achievement (taxpaying parent) is being realized?

Surely this is a valid evaluation of a high school education or it used to be true.

How about this "apples" common guy and gal like me?

Better review my comments... What is a Clay County Education worth?

Let us test it.