Jesse Jr. must be ready to work
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR September 10, 2012 10:50AM
Phoenix Savage looks for clues to a book in her second-grade classroom as Old St. Mary's Catholic School re-opens in a new building, Tuesday, September 6, 2011, 1474 S. Michigan, in the South Loop . | Jean Lachat~Sun-Times
Updated: October 11, 2012 6:14AM
Jesse Jr. must be ready to work
I pray that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is doing better now and I am glad he got the medical help he needed. Is this fair to the people who voted him in thinking he would serve them, and work for them? No! We all want Mr. Jackson to get well, but so very little is known, as it all has been very secretive. Why? Is this fair to those who voted him into his position? No!
Our state has many problems. We need all elected officials to be there to represent us. If they can’t because of illness, I’m sorry, but that’s NOT acceptable any longer! We need responsible people who will work hard to represent us.
Ljubinka Valesh, Riverside
Merit pay unrealistic in school
In a perfect world, merit, or performance-based pay for teachers would be the way to go.
All evaluating administrators would be impartial. All students would have caring parents who do everything possible to help their kids succeed. Test scores in all schools would truly reflect the abilities and dedication of the teachers.
Does your editorial staff really believe that there are no administrators who are racially, religiously, or sexually prejudiced? Are there no egomaniacs who would lower the rating of someone they dislike, or a teacher who had disagreed with their ideas?
In four decades as an award-winning teacher, I have encountered these people. One principal told teachers of the arts that “they should get lower ratings because they do not teach real subjects.” Should teacher pay be decided on the evaluations of such people?
Should it be decided on the evaluations of gang-bangers who would certainly blame their teachers for failing? Do you really think that teachers at select school that admit only superior students deserve more pay because the scores would always be higher? Would many teachers only “teach to the test,” depriving students of the opportunity to think creatively?
Yes, there are bad teachers. Yes, fine teachers deserve better pay. Unfortunately, in the real world, there is no fair way to get this done.
Robert Hirsch, Lincolnwood
Dangers of hearsay
Why I truly believe that Drew Peterson killed his wife Kathleen Savio, I don’t believe he should have been convicted using hearsay evidence. What will this lead to? Many blacks in the South were sent to jail or lynched based on hearsay evidence have a problem with the state passing a law to allow hearsay evidence just to charge one person. But now the law is on the books for others. I hope an innocent person does not get convicted on hearsay when no physical evidence can link the person to the crime.
Keith Kysel, New City
