Superintendent writes to reporter about column

GUEST EDITORIAL

MOSES LAKE - Good morning, Lynne.  I have to take a moment to tell you how very disappointed I was in your opinion piece in last night's paper.  While you have a right to your opinion, I felt strongly that your opinion was based on one visit to one school at one moment in time which is not representative of the professionals (probably not even the one you observed) who work very hard every day to take every child, regardless of ability, income, or family values nor was it representative of the large majority of our students behavior.

I don't know who the teacher is that you observed, I don't even know if your observation was in the Moses Lake School District, Quincy, Ephrata, Warden, wherever so I will speak to the professional educators across all of our school districts:  Did you observe the countless hours that the teacher put in to prepare the lesson?  Did you observe the way the teacher engaged even the student who absolutely did not want to be there?  Did you observe the teacher meet privately with a child to make sure that they were safe that morning due to something that happened in their home prior to school starting?  Did you observe that teacher carefully plan for the next lesson based on the student's needs?  Challenge a student to the next level?  Give constructive feedback to a child?  Correct the papers?  Make the parent phone call about something that a child did?  The list goes on of the professional acts that our teachers and all teachers demonstrate on a daily basis.

It takes a village to raise socially responsible youth.  Did you stop and say something to those two kids who were having an inappropriate interaction or did you walk by and allow that to happen in your community?   We certainly don't teach that language in school nor is it acceptable when we hear it.

Lynne, private school is a great option for some families.  It is not without many of the same social issues.  Making a choice for private school is by all means one that, when it comes time for your children to enter school, you have as a parent.  I applaud you in your efforts to find what is best for your family.  I have chosen public education for my children because I want to parent them.  I want them to be able to live and work among a diverse population.  I want them to incorporate our family values and beliefs into their daily lives.  I want them to learn to make mistakes and to be forgiven and shown unconditional love.  I want them to be an example for children who are not so lucky to have loving and caring parents.

I am very concerned about the effects of your opinion and the inability of our communities to separate this opinion piece from being news or the opinion of the Columbia Basin Herald regarding ALL of our schools.  Again, this isn't just about Moses Lake...it's about Ephrata, Quincy, Soap Lake, Wilson Creek, Warden, etc.    How will any of us be able to invite a Herald reporter back into our schools?

I hope that you will consider your opinion and how forming that opinion and publicly communicating it based on one moment in time impacts the communities you live and work in.