LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: A shorter school year for students + Teachers can't do everything + Kids need health classes

A shorter school year for students

latimes.com http://lat.ms/M2X0tV

June 16, 2012

Re "Critics decry shorter year for LAUSD," June 13

I've been reading The Times for 50 years, and headlines about a crisis in education are too common. Public education has been wracked for decades by unending financial crises, student dropout crises, tenure-for-incompetent-teachers crises and more, and with no end in sight. If any private corporation had such a pathetic record, it'd go bankrupt in a couple of years.

It's time to finally stop futilely grasping for ways to rescue the public school system and turn American education over to the private sector, where the free marketplace will judge which schools deserve to live and which to die.

Al Ramrus

Pacific Palisades

If the Los Angeles Unified School District got rid of useless mandatory annual testing demanded by politicians, it could find the extra days of instruction needed to replace these furlough days. Put the emphasis on student learning instead of politicians showing how tough they are on teachers.

John Gallogly

Highland Park

Having taught in L.A. Unified for 13 years, I would suggest that no one worry about the five days and focus on the true school year being 180 days, minus pupil-free days, minus half-days, minus teacher-enrichment days and minus other out-of-class activities equaling less than 150 days for the student with perfect attendance.

Consider the benefit of 240 days of required instruction, with no excused time taken from students. Yes, teachers would have to be paid higher salaries.

Stephen Rangen

Los Angeles

Letters: Teachers can't do everything

latimes.com http://lat.ms/Kbl4ck

June 15, 2012

Re "Teacher evaluation change backed," June 12, and "Judge affirms law on LAUSD evals," June 13

Would Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant also agree to evaluate his own profession using a system that utilizes dubious statistical data to determine whether judges should or should not remain on the bench? How about incorporating crime statistics into yearly evaluations?

Judges and lawyers would counter that they have no control over most of the factors that contribute to crime. They are correct — and so are teachers who object to dubious statistical data being used to evaluate the members of their profession.

Dennis M. Clausen

Escondido

Also in the June 12 paper, The Times ran Hector Tobar's wonderful column on reading with his children. Most of a person's desire to be educated comes from the home. If parents don't read and work with their children, no one can expect the motivation to come from the schools alone.

Teachers have about 30 kids in each class. We cannot expect too much individual attention for each child. This has got to come from parents — and yet the teachers will be punished for the lack of attention from parents.

Marilyn Gordon

San Pedro

Letters: Kids need health classes

latimes.com http://lat.ms/MhsnPH

June 15, 2012

Re "Health class may be waived," June 9

After 30-plus years of pushing for health education at the state level, I am confused as to why Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. John Deasy wants to allow schools to avoid a health graduation requirement. District officials recently reaffirmed health education to continue as a graduation requirement, yet the superintendent is now making it optional in some cases.

Kids need health classes to prevent disease, pregnancy and suicide. L.A. Unified must continue to be a role model for health classes in the nation.

Nathan Matza

Long Beach

The writer is a lecturer of health education and school health at Cal State Long Beach.