July 19, 1996

Thank you for your informative, knowledgeable, and eye-opening comments. I am a [teacher in the Plano I.S.D., and have also taught elsewhere.] I agree with all your points of view, and am so frustrated with the current state of education. I know that most people are well-intentioned, but I believe the purpose of our schools should be rigorous academics - not bending over backwards to give children a good time and pump up their self-esteem. The demise of traditional spelling and grammar instruction, math drills, content knowledge, and phonetic reading really scare me when I think of the future of our country. Believe it or not, I [was] never exposed in college to the traditional methods, but did some research on my own, and came to same conclusions you have. Unfortunately, I have learned that I am going against the tide, with teachers, administrators,professors, and fellow graduate students, so I have learned to keep my mouth shut and go with the flow.

I especially liked your comment about test scores. With all the advantages that Plano has there is no excuse not to have 99.9% of the children pass the TAAS in every school. I am reminded of questions on the 3rd grade test that supposedly measure multiplication skills, but where they provide a picture so that all the children have to do is count the objects! In my class in [a district where I was previously employed] all but one child passed both parts of the test and I had practically no materials or resources, but I did have the freedom to provide traditional instruction. In Plano I am required to use the integrated curriculum, do what everyone else does, and am limited as to how many worksheets I can make.

Anyway, I really appreciate what you are doing, and wanted to let you know that at least one P.I.S.D. teacher is behind you. If I can help you in any way, please let me know. Please do not use my name if you publish any of my comments.

Thank you,

[Name withheld to protect employment]