Teachers should provide test-taking example, not complain

Spectrum, by Jim Moberly

This letter is in reference to the Nov. 12 article, "Teachers face controversial standards." Teachers must lead by example. Our children had no choice or four-year warning prior to the federal requirement for the exit exam to get a diploma. They were told they had to take it, and then they either passed or failed.

In fewer than two years, all public-school teachers in the United States must be considered "highly qualified" by federal standards. "I think this is an undue burden," Connie Lutz said. "There are two ways to make sure teachers are highly qualified. One is through university training and one is providing ongoing professional development, but passing a test is not necessarily a good indicator of whether teachers are highly qualified."

Is the message now that our children must test out to prove they are highly qualified to deserve a diploma, but not the teachers? Or should it be showing the students that teachers have passed their qualifying exams and are able to lead their students to the goal of a diploma?

It is kind of an earning respect type of thing that good leaders do. It is federally mandatory that teachers take the qualification test just as the students must take the exit exam. To do that, students must have federally qualified teachers to pass the federally required exit exams.

What kind of message is Connie Lutz sending to the students? Tests are not good indicators of quality. It is time to stop complaining and do the job as a leader. The education system got the pay raises, the medical insurance, the three-year contracts, $126 million promised by the governor, and most of our property taxes go to education.

Every time the educators want something, it is stated that "the children will suffer" if the education system does not get this or that, even to the point of threatening a strike.

I think Connie Lutz needs to make a public apology to the students, the teachers and the taxpayers for the statement published in the Frontiersman. As a property-tax payer, I see us very well losing the federal funding as Harry Gamble stated may happen.

If the complaining continues, the apathetic attitude is not stopped and the reality of the "No Child Left Behind" is not taken seriously, once again the burden will be placed on the property owners to make up the loss in funding "or the children will suffer" once again.

Now I demand our students get the education the federal government requires and the majority of this Republican state voted for. Then students can pass "their" federally required exit exams.

Jim Moberly is a Wasilla resident.