Readers React: A new generation of immigrant parents in LAUSD who respect teachers

To the editor: Many of us who were around in the late 1940s and ’50s as young teachers remember parents being very supportive of our efforts. They were anxious to assist in the education of their children because many saw this as a path to becoming successful adults. (“In teachers’ strike settlement, public support for education was the best news,” Jan. 22)

In the latter part of the 20th century, this sense of mutual respect slowly disappeared.

I wonder if the parents of the early part of the century, many being children of immigrants, realized that the way forward in our country was tied closely to education. Many were very familiar with stories about the “old country” and the lack of opportunity.

Maybe these stories were forgotten as the middle class prospered and took free public education for granted. As a result, teachers found themselves having to provide much more than just instruction.

It seems we now have another generation of immigrants who see our free schools as an amazing opportunity for their children. Teachers will respond as they always have, doing the very best they can for their students.

Mary Ross, Cambria, Calif.

..

To the editor: One of the main issues in the Los Angeles Unified School District teachers’ strike was overcrowded classrooms.

One solution would be to stop illegal immigration, secure our borders and enforce our current immigration laws. Or, is California so far left and politically correct, we cannot even bother mentioning the obvious?

Geoffrey C. Church, Los Angeles

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook