Teacher’s Fight for Right to Fail

In the article about the science teacher in West Virginia who was reprimanded for being tough on students who do not do assigned homework, I was concerned to read the response of Steve Summers, the principal. He said, “Parents I’ve talked to don’t want to get involved in this . . . They tell me they’ll just leave it to my judgment. I wouldn’t want you to think they don’t get involved. I have over 500 coming to our sports banquet, where we honor the year’s athletic teams. I have good support.”

The body of the article is about Brown. It is the above “conclusion,” to equate parental sports support and academic support that bothers me. I was hoping to read he had 500 parents attending PTA meetings! The way I see it, Summers is lacking parental academic support and the community has once more laid academic responsibility on the school system.

I am distressed to read “confused” responses like those of Summers to crucial issues such as this, and I hope that parents around the nation will encourage their children more to win academic honors through good study habits as well as attending athletic honors programs! The students of “tough” teachers receive the respect and good grades their teacher works so hard to encourage and develop.

CAROL G. GOLDREYER

Thousand Oaks