Letters to the editor — Dec. 16

Marshall staff wasn’t over-reacting to candy

“They’re just being kids!” Wow, have we heard that a lot the past few weeks.

What everyone is failing to understand is these kids are old enough to know right from wrong.

First, it was liquid paper. Then, you needed an adult ID to purchase spray paint and model glue. This was enforced because kids were using these improperly as an inexpensive stimulant or inhalant.

Now, kids are turning a childhood treat into another inhalant. So ... this is now going to make candy, of all things, illegal for children to purchase?

So many illegal drugs are in powder form. Smarties candies becomes a fine powder when crushed, too. There’s the problem that Marshall Middle School was addressing.

Marshall was following disciplinary protocol and not over-reacting. When we drop off our kids at school each day, we are entrusting that school to protect our kids from harm of any kind. What would’ve happened if a child choked, had an unusual asthma attack or started having trouble breathing after snorting Smarties and it went unchecked by the staff at Marshall? How would a parent/guardian react, or maybe over-react, if Marshall staff did nothing to keep or stop that child from harming his/herself or being harmed by another person?

The problem screaming at parents is that crushing Smarties and other ordinary household items has already started a fascination for kids to experiment, or perhaps, make them “look cool” to their peers.

It is understood that a “high” cannot be achieved from snorting Smarties, but they’re inhaling a powder in their nose, the way people use cocaine.

Let’s focus on the harmful effects this causes. It can only cause asthma attacks or maybe long-term breathing problems. Isn’t that bad enough without even trying to get high?

Shareen Boone

Clovis

Carrot-and-stick approach won’t solve problems

I listened with disbelief that Gov. Martinez is suggesting an obsolete and insulting management proposal to fix student achievement in New Mexico.

Two of the fixes rely upon the old “carrot and stick” practices of the industrial age which imposed 1) benefits and threats on oppressed populations and 2) only provides material goods.

First, she is recommending another raise for beginning teachers up to 34K. Wow. Every teacher might now be able to better afford medical deductibles, which will probably go up, too.

Educators need to afford the counseling or medical treatments they receive while trying to cope with the “stick” of teacher effectiveness, the invalid and state mandated testing, biased statewide school grading, and a threatening state-imposed work environment?

The second “carrot” is a $100 debit card for classroom supplies. This is embarrassing and leaves one gasping for air.

Teachers are already practicing this theory. However, the $400 to $1,500 the National Education Agency says they already unselfishly contribute from out of pocket is not the magic variable that suggests improved academic performance of children with limited English ability, special needs, or behavioral disorders. If this were true, public education would have solved the achievement gap decades ago.

I do not deny better wages, or funding for supplies. However, by focusing on these archaic strategies, the Public Education Department is sending a bad message and will be distracted from policies that are in tune with the current information age.

Today, the key to success in every venture, including schools and student achievement, is in knowledge and humane relationships.

Why not focus limited resources that provide knowledge and skills for children, teachers, parents, and informed community instead of baiting naive teacher candidates into an oppressive profession?

Jerry Harmon

Portales