A sampling of “Regents Math”:
                 Start
with the finest teachers that the Rochester schools can attract, given budget constraints.
Then add a whole bunch of kids from populations typically at risk for failure:
from households of poverty; where English is a second language; minority
families; and kids with special learning needs or abusive or neglectful homes.
                 Subtract
the large portion of the curriculum that can’t be measured on a standardized
test: creativity, hands-on experimentation, long-term projects, current events,
and cooperative work (in a word, all the best stuff, for both students and
teachers.)
                 Factor
in the genuine risk to teachers’ health that results from this deficit. (I know
that if my parenting job suddenly shifted from supporting my kids to mandatory
abuse of them, I’d call in sick on a regular basis.)
                 Add
the costs of teacher absences from the classroom, which are required by the state several days each
year for training to administer and score the new state tests. (Students feel
abandoned and confused and behave badly; the subs know their job is just to
tread water and dodge spitballs or worse. No wonder the district has to pay top
dollar for replacements!)
                 None
of the above takes into account the taxpayer dollars that can no longer make it
into the classroom in the form of additional supplies, equipment, full-time
teachers, teacher training, or meaningful field trips. (Significant state funds
are tied up in developing, printing, securing, distributing, administering, and
scoring the tests, and publishing meaningless score reports.)
                 Result:
soaring teacher absenteeism and a true deficit in learning — district- and
statewide — which is nevertheless touted by the Democrat and Chronicle as “increased” test scores.
                 Parents
and others who are fed up with this cockamamie new “Regents math” are
calling for an end to state tests.
                 Legislators
plan to hold hearings around the state this winter to hear the stories of
families who have been impacted by the NYS tests. There is much that can be
done, both before and during the hearings, to bring home to policymakers that
learning is damaged by test-driven schools.
                 Concerned
citizens are invited to contact “Putting Children First” (phone
585/872-4267 or e-mail PtnChildrenFirst@aol.com) for information on how to make
their voices heard by the people who count.
                 Marcia Weinert, 1210 Severn Ridge Road,
Webster 14580 (Weinert is coordinator of “Putting Children
First.”)
Snooze…
George Grella’s verbose movie reviews are often haughty and
inaccessible, and are usually better at putting me to sleep than informing me
about current films. Perhaps Mr. Grella should consider modifying his style if
he expects readers to maintain an interest in his opinions.
                 Francis O’Leary, East Avenue, Rochester
Doyle on ice
Didn’t you know that County Executive Jack Doyle’s budget
cuts are intended to turn human-service providers into bartenders and prison
ministers?
                 Why,
they should name a drink after him: the Doyle punch. Take two parts lemon
juice, two parts whiskey sour, one part almond extract, three parts crushed
ice, one part recycled pulp from useless county contracts. Mix well in rusty
blender.
                 That
should effectively numb the brain cells we need to realize that these cuts will
drive more and more psychiatric-care recipients into homeless shelters or into
the more expensive penal system that will hog even more tax dollars down the
road.
                 It
should be obvious that Jack is neither a rocket scientist nor a doctor. He
couldn’t comprehend the Hippocratic oath of “do no harm.” Maybe he should be
standing in the street begging for alms wearing a hollowed-out pork barrel.
Then I would tell him that he should have been smarter with his money.
                 Ian
Spier, South Clinton Avenue, Rochester
A new zoo vision
I think everyone agrees that the Seneca Zoo needs major
improvements. Modern zoos are using wide-open areas to show wild animals in the
context of their natural environment. Typically, 100 acres is needed. There is
absolutely no way that type of expansion can occur in Rochester.
                 The
proposal to spend tens of millions of dollars on a minor physical expansion
does not make any sense; when completed, it will not have the size or quality
to attract large numbers of people. Political, historic, and esthetic reasons
also have stalled this plan.
                 Rather
than proceed with lawsuits and contentious debate, why doesn’t the community
create an innovative alternative that limits the physical expansion, keeps
capital expenses to a minimum, but develops a unique zoo environment that can
attract regional and national attention?
                 The
concept I propose puts less emphasis on live animals in wide-open spaces but
maximizes the education of patrons by giving them a vivid audio and visual
experience of the animal kingdom, mixing art, interactive play areas, large
photos, high-tech video, and a large, low-tech petting zoo. Such vivid,
real-life observation of the animal kingdom would give patrons a more exciting
experience than can be obtained from current zoo displays, where animals are in
a natural setting but are much too far away to appreciate.
                 Place
large colorful “animal art work” throughout the zoo, and create a
large interactive play area for children using the art as the basis for play.
Construct a mini-Imax Theatre, where real-life three-dimensional films of the
animal kingdoms are shown.
                 Saturate
the long roadway from St. Paul Street to the zoo entrance with all types of
large animal art. Wire the zoo with speakers that transmit sounds of the animal
world. Rent space for a large “zoo-themed restaurant” with
indoor-outdoor seating. Sell naming rights to the zoo and have corporate
sponsorship of special seasonal attractions.
                 Bring
together the strengths and creativity of our community: high-definition image
technology, local artisans, creative use of landscaping, all in a concentrated
area. This would create a unique zoo experience that could have a regional and
national draw. Don’t try to duplicate other nearby zoos. Throw away current zoo
plans, dismiss the typical cookie-cutter zoo consultants, and plan an exciting
alternative that is unique to Rochester.
                 Dennis Michaels, Elmwood Terrace, Rochester
This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2002.
