Letters to the Editor 08/18/2010

To the Editor:

I am greatly encouraged by the aspirations of the SMART policy being developed by the district, and I appreciate The Nugget keeping us all informed of their progress ("Sisters schools aim at excellence," The Nugget, August 11, page 1).

There's one aspect of this article that I hope was simply forgotten. I believe that "where the rubber meets the road" (and moves forward most effectively, to carry the metaphor) is at home. Yes, pursuing and retaining good teachers is very important. More important, however, is the degree of active awareness and involvement practiced by us as parents.

Common sense dictates that children respond best to those standards reasonably and consistently modeled by their parents. Even the best practiced and intended education has been sabotaged by home life. Conversely, as much as people try to blame teachers, or the lack of tax dollars, etc., parents can lead their children to transcend whatever limits they experience within their formal educational opportunities.

I trust that the majority of us agree with this belief. It's just that it is easily forgotten in the midst of day-to-day life. Perhaps this could be incorporated somehow more?

Thanks to the school board and various committee members for all of your hard work!

Scott Miller