To The Editor:
Regarding the threatened elimination of honors-level classes for Harwood Union ninth-graders, I'm frustrated that so much of this is happening at such short notice. We were out of town and unable to attend this very important meeting. Like many, I could go on at some length about this subject, but here is a quick summary of my thoughts.
1. Nobody is suggesting that the fall play choose its lead parts by lottery, or the athletic teams eliminate their varsity/junior varsity distinction or give every child equal playing time on the field. We all recognize that some children work harder, are more dedicated, and have more athletic gifts than other children, and they should, therefore, have different opportunities. Why should children who study harder or take their classes more seriously not have the same opportunities to excel?
My children are academically oriented. Academics are more important to them than athletics, music, or any extracurricular activity. After nine years of heterogeneous study, the pleasure of getting to high school is that they can finally express their joy of learning without getting harassed or having non-motivated students purposefully derail the teachers from their lessons. Please don't take this away from them.
2. Eliminating honors classes will have the effect of keeping any Harwood graduates out of Ivy League or other highly selective universities, such as MIT, Cal Tech, Berkeley, etc. These schools have thousands of gifted students to choose from and they do not admit students who have not taken advanced or honors classes in high school.
3. If this is implemented, I will actively oppose any school board member who supported this proposal and work against any educator or administrator who was involved in its passage. I understand that people are acting in good faith, but I am convinced that this is damaging to the education of my children.
Michael Carr
Warren
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