Students often dictate scores
High-scoring students may have "excellent" teachers, but also supportive parents, definite goals, positive attitudes, good study habits and safe environments. They enter classrooms happy, cooperative, highly motivated, desiring to learn, realizing advantages of obtaining a good education, making good grades and scoring well on standardized tests.
The majority of students are receptive to teachers who only have to come into the classroom and present well-planned lessons with satisfactory results. Administrators, teachers, parents and the majority of students feel good about school and work for excellence.
Low-scoring students may have "excellent teachers," but little parent support, negative attitudes, poor study habits and unsafe volatile environments. They or their classmates are sad, insecure, disruptive and unreceptive to learning.
Before beginning well-planned lessons, their excellent teachers must prevent fights, dry tears and explain the importance of classroom cooperation and homework. They have to deal with students, parents, other teachers and certainly administrators who do not feel good about the school. They may be harassed and bullied by students, parents and administrators.
If teachers alone produce high-scoring students, then the problem is easily solved. Transfer teachers from high-scoring schools to low-scoring schools and watch the results.
CHRISTINE S. HICKS, retired educator
Adoptions save lives
The Rev. Rumancik's view of abortion omitted compassion for the unborn baby.
In Jeremiah 1:5, God says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." Revelation 4:11b states, "for Thou created all things, and because of Thy will they existed and were created."
There may be "accidental" parents, but there are no accidental children.
The reverend said that Jesus never spoke against poor people of his day leaving their infants outside to die. Besides us not knowing all Jesus taught in his three years of ministry, we do know the fifth commandment says we are not to kill. Jesus held children in his arms and blessed them.
Ms. Rumancik says some have "no other option than to end a pregnancy." Adoption is the other option.
Two of our three children are adopted, and many others have enriched their lives with precious ones that a birth mom was unable to care for.
Several friends who have had abortions still grieve the loss of their little ones. My heart aches for them.
If the minister "respects the beautiful gift of life," as she states in the opinion piece, then I pray she will become involved in saving lives through adoption.
SANDY HARRIS, Menlo, Ga.