Teachers Should Judge on Curriculum

* Re “Public Schools Aren’t So Public,” Voices, Sept. 9: Katharine DeBurgh reminds us that schools are already public/private institutions, to the great mutual benefit of schools and business. While private corporations are an indispensable part of public education, they should not be at the helm.

In my third-grade classroom, I am required to use the Open Court reading curriculum and the Saxon math curriculum, like many other teachers in the district and state. Both programs are so detailed that they require limited creativity from the teacher, and they are so structured that they allow the teacher limited flexibility. In an education system with so many new teachers, ready-made lesson plans seem crucial. But the rigid curriculum is also designed by the publishing companies to box out competitors by requiring complete implementation of their own curriculum.

It is the responsibility of principals and teachers to identify the academic needs of their students and use published materials and other teaching strategies to meet those needs. Publishing companies play a vital role in curriculum development, but we should not rely on them to prescribe curriculum and teaching practices for every school and classroom.

JONATHAN STEWART

Long Beach

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DeBurgh points out how much teachers and private industry subsidize public schools and then arrives at the conclusion that Prop. 38 is a continuation of that process. Prop. 38 is the exact opposite. It provides that public schools finance private schools. I suggest part of her preparation for teaching provide a course in logic.

HELEN TIEGER

Huntington Beach