Regarding the March 30 editorial “Logic does not compute,” unfortunately, the assertion by some that algebra is useless and should be removed from schools is just the latest in the effort to unteach our youth. Most states no longer require a foreign language to graduate. Many schools have stopped teaching cursive writing. Music and art are rapidly becoming unavailable to far too many students. Physical education is gradually being eliminated from curriculums around the country. Many states no longer require civics to graduate. Civics! How in the world will the next generations be the movers and shakers if they don’t even understand how our government operates?
Each of these courses that fall by the wayside leave our youth with a shortage of knowledge that they rarely recover in later life. In vilifying the teaching staff, legislators are falsely able to justify cutting budgets and the necessary courses that children need. Still, raises seem to be readily available for administrators and sports coaches. I suppose the lesson is that if you want a well-rounded education, make sure you are born into a family who can afford private school. If you don’t have that privilege, well, I suppose you can flip burgers.
