Huntington Beach Schools’ Guaranteed Grads Plan

To read school Supt. Marie Otto’s pronouncements about “guaranteeing” graduates from the Huntington Beach Union High School District (Dec. 2), one gets the feeling that she is running a General Motors assembly plant: Defective products will be “recalled” and “fixed” to guarantee consumer satisfaction.

Assuredly, this is an interesting approach to public relations between the school district and the community. But where is the reality of things?

I would suggest that education is not akin to factory production, because the “product” of schools is intellectual and social growth. Unlike Chevrolets, students have “will,” which influences what, how, and when they learn. Students more often willfully engage themselves in their part-time jobs, beer parties, boyfriends/girlfriends, and cruising in their cars than they do in their studies.

Schools should not take the total rap for lack of intellectual motivation of students--the challenges are there, but students don’t seize upon them because it takes effort and detracts from higher priorities. Both the public and the educational establishment blame schools and teachers for lack of student performance that is caused by social disintegration, lack of discipline and other social ills over which schools have no control.

Otto’s premise is that she is doing the business community a big favor by guaranteeing that her district’s students can read, write and calculate. Most businessmen who encounter basic skill deficiencies in their employees already do themselves a favor by simply getting rid of these workers and finding competence elsewhere in the labor market.

We offer too many chances for students to be “bailed out,” causing them to postpone taking charge of their lives. At some time we must teach students that they are responsible for their lives, that the first round in education is their only chance at a better life and that they have the right to fail. In not doing this, we are producing an entire generation of “Cling-ons” who don’t want to come to grips with growing up and being productive human beings.

BILL D. HOLDER

Cypress

Holder is a teacher in the Huntington Beach Union High School District.