We need to return to education’s successes of the past

Regarding Herald columnist Jennifer Bardsley’s Aug. 27 column on what makes a school “good,” I am past 90, so my schooling was in an earlier day. Although some teachers were better than others, the all tried to teach us.

My mother’s parents were first generation, as were more then than today, yet she and her siblings spoke primarily English. Neither of my parents graduated from high school, yet we three kids advanced beyond four years of college. In my opinion English as a second language is a farce that would be solved by requiring everyone who comes into the U.S. to learn English and teach their children if they want to stay. Unfortunately for years no politicians has wanted to touch immigration laws.

My wife and I have done some teaching. The teacher we had didn’t have “prep periods.” If a man or woman is qualified to teach a subject, he knows the material and shouldn’t need much review to present it.

Bardsley states flatly that “our public education is broken.” In the next sentence, she states if it were not, “each child would find success and graduate.” That euphoria will never exist, but I would hope that we can improve our system so it is no longer below average compared with other countries. We have been decades getting where we are. While we have outstanding teachers, nobody talks about the ones (protected by unions) who get by day by day until they can retire.

Bob McCoy

Everett