Getting Through The Curriculum

Re “For Teachers, So Much Text, So Little Time,” June 27:

Times education writer Martha Groves’ splendid story points out one of the most alarming trends in education today. Standardized testing, particularly the Stanford 9, is taking the place of valuable teaching time.

Like it or not, teachers are being forced to “teach to the test” or risk valuable funding. The education process is being taken out of the hands of trained professionals to satisfy the state’s bureaucratic process.

Let’s leave the educational decision-making to those who have education degrees, those who have spent many years studying the essentials of education, those who have the experience meeting the real needs of children in the classroom: the teachers.

Maureen DelGrosso

Los Angeles

I was so pleased to see your article. I allowed the curriculum to drive me at year’s end, instead of the children. The pressure that politicians create, without ever having read a book by Jean Piaget, continues to get in the way of what educators do best. All of us could relate to teacher Bill Higbee’s and the unnamed elementary teacher’s experience.

Will anyone in charge listen? I think not. Certainly not the ones who decided we could work in 78-degree classrooms and take a 35-minute lunch.

Pam Ferris

Simi Valley