I am concerned about the changes that have occurred in the high
school student ranking system. These changes have apparently taken
place over the summer as a result of the implementation of a new
system to manage grades and reporting. It appears that students who
take more challenging courses (Advanced Placement or Honors) are
not being rewarded for their extra effort by seeing their GPA
adequately reflect the intensity of their study. We are sending the
wrong message to our students!
Spend more time challenging our students to achieve
Dear Editor,
I am concerned about the changes that have occurred in the high school student ranking system. These changes have apparently taken place over the summer as a result of the implementation of a new system to manage grades and reporting. It appears that students who take more challenging courses (Advanced Placement or Honors) are not being rewarded for their extra effort by seeing their GPA adequately reflect the intensity of their study. We are sending the wrong message to our students! Why should students take a more challenging class and risk a lower grade, when they can sail through an easier class and maintain a higher GPA? And since when does the academic challenge of a band class equal the challenge of a calculus course?
Our educational system is in trouble, and we are more concerned with looking good in school statistics than preparing our students for the challenges facing them in a global economy and a global job market. For our students to be competitive, we should spend less time trying to make them look good (and make our system appear better than it is), and more time concentrating on challenging our students to strive farther than they thought they could, and achieve more than we thought they would.
Faith Protsman, M.D., Morgan Hill
Columnist should examine both sides of the issue
Dear Editor,
I gave up reading, “My Point Exactly,” by Lisa Pampuch some years ago, however, my intuition was well-founded after (for some reason?) reading her latest article. An article calling many Americans invaders, cowards, shaking in our boots, gullible liars, stupid, etc.
I could have guessed our columnist listened to CNN and others such as the charming Keith Olbermann. By the way, you’ve guessed by now, I lean to the right of Lisa’s opinions. And yes, many of us were concerned about his birth place (silly of us), and concerned about President Barack Obama’s friends i.e. Bill Ayers, the bomber and the good reverend pastor and let’s not forget that grand organization ACORN! It’s pretty obvious Ms. Pampuch gets most if not all of this article strictly from the liberals playbook spewing nothing but the same old mantra we read and hear everyday.
I recommend she tune into Fox news (heaven forbid) at 2 p.m. and listen to Glen Beck. Everything is covered by video and actual words spoken in order to support what is being covered in his program. By the way, just a few days ago, while listening to Glen Beck, he played one portion of our President speaking (and far to often) to a gathered group including his friends. He very plainly stated that his administration would be looking to his friends to help set his agendas.
I forgot to mention that ACORN was in attendance! The same ACORN that has recently been “outted” as helping to set up houses of prostitution for underage children being brought into our country. The reporters that exposed this did it three times now, but we’ve seen little of this being reported in our papers and on CNN, MSNBC,and other news stations.
Yes, I listen to left wing stations, too, so I can see both sides. In closing, I want to say that I’m not the coward Ms. Pampuch thinks.
I’ve spent eight years serving my country and it’s an insult to be accused of being part of an unthinking and cowardly group. I guess you could say, I”m a little nervous but not scared, being led by a President in training and an administration loaded with tax evaders and many leftovers from the Clinton administration: quite a wholesome group!
C. E. Wilcox, Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill is the home to many wonderful, free family-oriented events
Dear Editor,
Morgan Hill rocks!! What a summer of music we had. It was just like the “good ol’ days” at the Thursday Street Dance on Second Street, and its Morgan Hill Idol competition surprised everyone – bringing out unbelievable talent in our town. (Thanks to Sobrato High School’s video-production team, the finals last Thursday night were video taped and will be shown on Cable Charter Station 20 in about a week, so be sure to watch it if you missed it).
The Friday Night Music Series at the Community and Cultural Center was a great venue, too, especially the nights that Shane Dwight Band, The Usual Suspects, and Soul Kiss played. Then to top it all off, the Downtown Association sponsored a free concert there Saturday, Sept. 5. The Journey tribute band Evolution played to an enthusiastic, diverse, and multi-generational crowd. Hundreds danced under the stars and almost full moon.
How fortunate we are to live in Morgan Hill where we get to enjoy so many family-oriented events!
Mushroom Mardi Gras was better than ever this year, and now we have The Taste of Morgan Hill to look forward to.
I just want to thank everyone involved with providing such wonderful music for us to enjoy free of cost all summer long, as well as those who make all of our festivals possible year after year.
Brooke Bailey, Morgan Hill
A national public option is necessary to health care reform
Dear Editor,
Yes, as the letter writer states, Medicare is going bankrupt. For the last 40 years medical costs have exceeded growth by 3 percent annually, according to a report from the Boston Globe.
So I agree with the writer that the only health care program that provides for you when you get old and retire should be abandoned and the elderly should bear the full cost of health care even though they are on fixed incomes and have limited resources.
More than likely they would not be able to afford their homes and should be institutionalized and/or crated up and shipped to another third world country like electronic waste and cigarettes. Not likely.
Yes, Medicare is underfunded, but still only 4 percent of its cost goes to administration. This is in line with other major industrial countries that have a national health care program.
While our U.S. health care counterparts funnels a whopping 30 percent to administration to fund, among other things, costly Caribbean/Vegas junkets that are somehow an acceptable administrative cost to be passed on to you as part of a 10 percent increase expected next year alone. You would be surprised what costs remain hidden in private industry that cannot be hidden in public organizations.
While the writer cites government programs that are inefficient, do you want me to bring up Enron, MCI, General Motors, Merrill Lynch, and the 84 banks that have failed in the last year? There are enough examples that a comparison would likely find the field quite level.
Medicare covers the elderly. They, by far, are the costliest population to cover. What would happen to your Medicare if we turned it over to private industry? And why stop there? Let’s turn over all of our government inspectors to private industry such as those that inspect airlines, trucks, drugs, meat, fish, etc.? Let’s option for self-regulation which the industry so strongly advocates. Not likely.
Health care reform and a national option are necessary if we are to reel in overwhelming and escalating costs to shortly reach $15,000 annually for a family of four.
More than 70 percent of all personal bankruptcies are medically related and that percentage is growing. It is truly time for reform because to do nothing is a disaster whose magnitude will deprive you of the very air you breathe.
Mark Grzan, Morgan Hill
Thanks to all for such a great Friday Night Music Series
Dear Editor,
To the community of Morgan Hill, thank you for your support of this season’s Friday Night Music Series.
This year’s location was well received by the attendees, many of whom came for the first time. The crowds continued to grow throughout the series, to upward of 500, and the bands responded by putting on outstanding shows week after week.
“The venue lends itself for a family evening”, was the most popular comment we heard, “It’s perfect to enjoy the music and visit with friends.”
A special thank you to our sponsors, who help keep this 12-week series a free community event: Johnson Lumber – Ace Hardware, Anritsu, Santa Teresa Dental, Metro Self Storage, Jet Electric, State Farm – Ken Fels, Gilroy Honda, Alain Pinel – Steve Barsanti, the Goularte Family and Silva Family Chiropractic.
Christine Giusiana, President/CEO, Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center
