Letter: Top 10 ways to improve schools

Thursday, June 10, 1999 | 9:53 a.m.

1. Raise teacher salaries. It is a noble calling but should not require a vow of poverty.

2. Electronic roll-taking. Couldn't a metal detector-type device free teachers from this clerical task?

3. TV cameras in every room. This would put an end to many who-did-what debates.

4. Uniforms. Not the old-fashioned ones, but a versatile classic Lands' End-type wardrobe featuring school colors (We are all getting tired of the Beavis and Butthead look.

5. Reward attendance and promptness.

6. Remove disrupters. In-school suspension is a good first step. The next step should be Opportunity school. If you could compute minutes of instructional time lost into dollars and cents, people would be appalled at the waste.

7. Zero tolerance. Enforce all the rules all the time. It works. Today's unpunished rule violators are tomorrow's felons.

8. Identify people in need and offer classes in anger management, anti-violence, problem-solving and parenting skills.

9. Character education. You don't have to advocate religion to teach trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Hopefully, in a few years, this can counter the ill-effects of the current self-esteem movement. A little community service wouldn't hurt these kids either.

10. Make schools off-limits for gun-toters, drug dealers, lawyers, advocates, ax-grinders and nut cases.

A principal once told me his philosophy was to "get the best teachers, get them what they need to teach, and get out of the way."

We need more like him.

PAUL YOHNKA