Math Quiz

“Taking the Score of Hip, Happenin’ Math” by Arianna Huffington (Commentary, Aug. 26) is an insult to every dedicated, underpaid public school teacher in America. While dysfunctional parenting, underfunding and non-English speaking students serve as real challenges for public schools, she would have us believe that the misguided attempt by a few teachers to make school relevant is now a nationwide plot on the part of educators to promote sex, drugs and violence via curriculum.

Huffington’s column is probably nothing more than an attempt to discredit public schools and make a voucher system more appealing. While vouchers would be wonderful for people of privilege--I’m sure Huffington and her rich friends would love to have the taxpayers help send their children to the private, religiously correct school of their choice--it hasn’t been established yet that dismantling public schools would serve the best interests of the majority of America’s school-age population. Nor would vouchers serve the best interests for the future of our democratic republic, based as it is on an educated citizenry as opposed to an educated elite.

LEE R. WATSON

San Clemente