True education needs passionate teaching

Editor:

After all of these years in Iraq and Afghanistan, with all of the deaths of our soldiers and the civilians of these countries, you would think that we might be trying to teach our students about the world, about geography, about this great country they live in! Oh, and while they are at it, maybe they could throw in a course of how and why this country was founded, along with some time on the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.

Education is a truly amazing staple of life. The more you have the better you should do in life. But lately, education could be compared to presents under the Christmas tree. The children rush downstairs, hurriedly tear through the colorful wrappings, only to find a few out of the many that are of interest to them.

What is the perfect present? How about a teacher with passion. A teacher who loves going to work, who wants to teach her/his subject with enthusiasm and an eagerness for their students to be the best that they can be.

Only a small percentage of young adults can locate Iraq or Afghanistan on a map. Asked to name the continent where the Amazon River is located, most draw a blank. Are we educating students to be "push button" learners, where all they have to do is type in the information and Google spews out a myriad of results. How will they know what is "real" information or "false" information from all of the websites offered up for their perusal? That is, if their "reading comprehension" skills are at a level to understand what is written. Plus, do they have the ability to carry on an intelligent conversation about "global" events?

I find it difficult to understand why it is now taking students six years to graduate a four-year college. Why are college students having to take remedial courses in English and math?

To listen to the education wonks espousing this new Global learning and the "rigor" that goes with it, maybe we are missing a lot of things. Like a passionate teacher in the classroom!

Jeffrey C. Pratt

Poca

GOP stalling on judicial nominees

Editor:

Tommy D.G. Ferrell IV's "Republicans stall on court nominees" (Letter, Aug. 31) powerfully demonstrated that Republican senators are keeping "a ridiculous number of judicial nominees in limbo."

 Recent developments involving two Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals nominees Ferrell cited confirm the arbitrary nature of the GOP actions. 

 After an Aug. 4 Public Policy Polling survey showed North Carolina voters overwhelmingly (58 percent to 16 percent) supported prompt votes on Judges Albert Diaz and James Wynn, senators finally confirmed Wynn by unanimous consent.

 Diaz, however, remains in limbo, along with many others who were approved in committee without dissent months ago. Senate Republicans continue unprecedented denials of floor votes to more than 20 judicial nominees.

 President Obama's judicial confirmation rate is the lowest in 30 years, with only 40 circuit and district judges confirmed while judicial vacancies have risen to over 100.

 Unfortunately, the Senate cannot waste the day or more of floor time to force a vote on each nominee.

Glenn Sugameli

Staff attorney

Judging the Environment, Defenders of Wildlife

Washington, D.C.

Fox News criticism an example of hypocrisy

Editor:

I read with interest you editorial lambasting Fox News and their political contributions to the Republican Party. This article gives perspective to the issue at hand.

Unfortunately, the mainstream media have become the propaganda arm of the Democrat party. This country needs a fourth estate that is truly objective and not ideological in its reporting of the news.

Hence, the constitutional protections afforded to the media. Sadly, this newspaper has consistently held nonobjective points of view.

This has not helped the discourse on pertinent issues of the day and has not enlightened the readership in a fair way.

Allan Snider

Charleston