School, student problems bigger than teachers, tests
Here in Hamilton County, we have kids who have been traumatized by drive-by shootings, who have family members who have died violently or been incarcerated, who don’t always have beds to sleep in or food to eat, who are struggling with the effects of divorce and blended families, suffering from verbal abuse and neglect, suffering from bullying online and in person, who don’t have clean socks or the medicines they need.
Can we really chalk all those ills up to ineffective teachers or poor standardized test scores?
As Dr. Nadine Burke Harris stated on NPR recently, “When we’re talking about vulnerable communities traditionally called “underperforming” schools, you have huge numbers of kids who are exposed to very high levels of adversity. And we’re like, ‘Huh, I wonder why they’re not scoring well on that test?’ If you had that many kids in a class and they all had epilepsy, what would you be doing?”
The problems in our schools are so much bigger than the teachers who teach there or the standardized tests used to measure student progress.
Susan Jones
Signal Mountain
Bridge name should not be changed
I just wonder what the difference is in renaming the Walnut Street Bridge and taking down Civil War Monuments? And, there are those who refuse to walk the bridge due to its “history.”
I think a lot more people (including my family) will refuse to walk it if it’s changed. Y’all want to change history; just don’t let it repeat itself. You are perpetuating the problem, not the solution. No, I don’t have the answer, either.
John Williams
We need to know Juuls’ full effects
Juuls (types of vaporizers) are the cigarettes of my generation. They are easily accessible, and we do not know of their harmful effects. There have been few real studies of their short- or long-term hazards. This needs to change.
Previously, kids and adults blissfully smoked cigarettes for many reasons, including the buzz and the social status. Everyone smoked because their peers did; nothing seemed bad about it. Cigarettes were everywhere. Now, you rarely see an 18-year-old smoking a cigarette.
Now, teens are substituting Juuls for cigarettes or cigars. I often hear friends say, “Well, at least I am not smoking cigs,” or “Juuls are better than those cancer sticks.” I admit I have Juuled, and because I can’t see any proven negative effects, it seems like a good alternative to cigarettes.
I see the pattern, though. I can picture my generation outside convenience stores, hitting a Juul instead of a cigarette. I can picture myself pulling up to a traffic light, and instead of smelling tobacco, smelling the vapors produced by the Juul. There needs to be a non-biased, fully supported study on Juuls so we can be made aware of their full effects.
Hugh Steel
Why is it so hard to get a state ID?
Can someone please explain why it is so difficult to get a simple state ID in Tennessee? My fiancé moved from Michigan to Ooltewah in 2014. He needs a state ID since he can’t drive anymore. We have been to the DMV on Bonny Oaks three times, and he has gotten denied and treated rudely three times. He went in with a birth certificate, mail showing where we live, Social Security card, the title to our home in our landlord’s name and address to my fiancé on the envelope, etc. Now they tell him he can’t get a state ID without a lease or job, etc. He can’t get on the lease without an ID or a job without an ID. He was added when we moved here to my Section 8; they need a copy of his state ID to be re-added. He has someone wanting to hire him but needs an ID for the tax work. A bank statement could work, but to get a bank account you need a state ID.We are desperate to say the least – not like he’s asking for a pilot’s license or gun permit. Regretting even moving here.
Angela Schalz
Writer shows lack of understanding
Of all the pro-life letters to the editor that get published, an overwhelming majority appear to be from men seemingly believing they know more about abortion and pregnancy than women. None, however, have been more patronizing than a recent letter about who gets to make the (agonizing) decision of what to do about an unwanted/unplanned pregnancy.
First, the writer makes the assumption that “both would-be parents” should make the decision and not the woman alone because it will be “raised by two people should it be born.” This view shows an utter lack of understanding about the conditions a woman facing a possible abortion will be confronted with. In most cases, the father is no longer in the picture or doesn’t want to be involved. If the woman keeps the baby she likely will be raising it alone.
Finally, it was somewhat heartening the writer wants to make women aware they will have “more hormones running through her than ever before,” which I guess, makes them unable to properly take care of themselves during pregnancy and therefore need help. Thank you for that advice. I’m sure pregnant women will appreciate the head’s up.
Rebecca Rochat
Gun control backers now in the majority
We are guided for and by the people. Not by who is loudest or angriest.
The Pew Research Center (nonpartisan research organization) has surprising statistics for us as we listen to the national discourse.
Fewer than 38 percent of Americans own guns. In the East, only 27 percent; in the South, 38 percent; the Midwest, 35 percent; and the West, 34 percent (Pew, July 15, 2014).
Rural Americans own more guns than urban ones. White Americans own more guns than other races. Hunters are gun owners. More hunters are in the 60-and-older range rather than younger, and the overall number of hunters has decreased from 10 percent to 5 percent (NPR, March 20).
Some discredit student testimony asking for stricter gun controls. Are students being fed an agenda? After a youngster has seen friends blown apart, it’s no surprise they lobby for surroundings where everyone can’t purchase a gun – often a rapid fire rifle – to take out their personal anguish on those around them.
Those of us who favor stricter gun control are in the majority. Safer criteria will protect the lives of innocents. Responsible citizens should review options to stop the killing and vote.
Helen Barrett
Forced forfeiture shouldn’t happen
Three weeks ago, an article in the Times Free Press said: “Bill would impose limits on civil asset forfeiture.” There is nothing more un-American than civil asset forfeiture. A person is supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The U.S. Constitution says a person shall not be deprived of “life, liberty, or property without due process of law.” Where is the due process when law enforcement seizes the property of a suspect? This is even more egregious when the person is not charged with a crime. Our Founding Fathers wrote these protections into the Constitution for the express purpose of providing limits on the powers of law enforcement personnel.
Using money obtained by civil asset forfeiture to fund law enforcement operations is a blatant conflict of interest and should not be tolerated. Our elected officials have a responsibility to provide the resources necessary to provide for the safety of the public. This is the fundamental justification for having a government. If our elected officials do not fully satisfy this obligation, then we need to replace them with ones that will.
How would you feel if your property was seized illegally?
Jim Olson