What would help in middle school

Re “Reformers cite middle school needs,” Dec. 26

As a former middle school home economics teacher, I found that even low-performing students -- girls and boys -- could enjoy and succeed in a cooking class. My students found cooking to be a fun way to learn about healthy eating, work as part of a team, master time management (preparing, eating and cleaning up, all before the bell rang), practice math while calculating cost per serving, employ a checklist to ensure that everything was left spanking clean and earn that sense of satisfaction that comes from creating a meal that tastes great. What a way to build self-esteem!

Cooking classes also could break down barriers between students from diverse populations because they provide an opportunity to learn about and appreciate the cuisine of faraway lands. Unfortunately, what could be a natural part of middle school programming is rapidly going the way of the dodo bird.

JOYCE SAND

Westwood

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The Los Angeles Unified School District spends eight years indicating to students that there is no penalty for not learning; they just keep getting promoted. Is it any wonder that when the students reach high school, they are so far behind that they drop out?

There is no question that reducing class size would help, but in order to do so, more teachers would have to be hired. There would be demand, but where is the supply going to come from? To increase supply, price would have to go up. Until L.A. Unified addresses the problem of teachers not being able to afford to live in Los Angeles on their salaries, teachers will continue to leave in droves, and nothing will change.

ALEXA MAXWELL

Los Angeles