Letter: Myriad problems face valley’s teachers

Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007 | 7:12 a.m.

I am a sixth grade teacher and I thoroughly agreed with Jason Kern's Jan. 5 letter to the editor. The number of students in most fourth through 12th grade classes is too large. The problem Mr. Kern, a high school teacher, faces with piles of work to correct is but one of the problems. Included in the large size are special education children who have a variety of special needs, including different learning modes and needing assignments changed, ADHD, ADD and a variety of other physical, behavioral and learning problems.

We have students who come to our classes with no English language skills, and we have a large number of students for whom English is a newly acquired, and not yet fully developed, skill. In addition, we have a transient population as children regularly change schools throughout the year. The No Child Left Behind law tells us that all these children need to pass the same tests successfully at the same time or our schools are a failure.

It's true that all of our children need to be educated, and having a wide variety of students in our classes can be a plus ... if the class size is such that each child can get the attention he or she deserves. However, thinking we are going to consistently raise test scores under the conditions listed above is wishful thinking. For those who say we can, I will add, we can teach to the test. I don't consider this educating our children.

Valerie Hughes, Las Vegas