Poverty study will offer worthwhile insights
I am writing in response to the April 18 story about poverty. I found this article to be more positive than others by other media that focus on poverty and crime rate instead of the lack of resources within low-income communities. The study, to be conducted by Chambliss Center for Children, is aimed at identifying ways of increasing the chances for children from low-income families to be ready for kindergarten. Children of the impoverished are often overlooked. I appreciate the fact that this study is focusing on children in these disadvantaged families. These children are affected dramatically because of exposure to multiple stressors associated with living in poverty — such as improper nutrition — can affect their learning and ability to focus and concentrate in school. We must continue to find ways to eradicate this “invisible force” that holds these children back.
Latoya Mcleod, Ooltewah
Appreciate the splendor of earth year-round
People make many wishes at Christmastime. Some wish for presents and some wish for world peace. For Earth Day this year, I would wish for people to truly appreciate the God-given natural splendors that surround us each day. I think that nature’s calming beauty, which is able to counteract the worst of life’s stress, is simply overlooked and ignored by 99 percent of us. This year my Earth Day wish is that we begin to consciously appreciate the natural world and that, as a society and as individuals, we seek to protect it.
Will Lance
Education stats reveal deep, long-term problems
Recently I saw some statistics on inner-city students. They were very shocking; even if only half true, something needs to done quickly to intervene. Eighty-six percent of black boys in Washington, D.C., can’t read. Only 3 percent of black children in Detroit are proficient in reading. Eighty-two percent of black children in the United States can’t read. Only 11 percent of black males who graduate from New York City schools are college ready. These are very sobering statistics. It’s no wonder that we had a testing scandal in Atlanta involving teachers and administrators. How can anyone get a job if he or she cannot read and follow the simplest instructions? Will the proposed property tax hike in Hamilton County fix disparities in learning, or will it just make the poor and elderly poorer?
Ben Keim Jr.