A Knight in Dragonland

There was a letter to the editor in today’s Daily Times entitled “Smoke, mirrors.” It was sent in by Tom Frazier of Pekin as a specific rebuttal of another letter to the editor. That letter (by Ray Garber Jr. of Pekin) was written in support of Mike Noyes and his publication of paraphrased excerpts from Mike Mark Sattazahn’s letter of resignation.

Mr. Frazier claims that the criticism in Sattazahn’s letter was pointed at federal standards imposed by the No Child Left Behind Act, NOT at District 108. I’m not sure where Frazier is getting his information – unless he’s related to Karen Frazier, who saw the letter as a member of the 108 board. I wish Mr. Sattazahn would provide some clarity.

Frazier also has this to say to Jim Mangan:

Mr. Mangan would like to blame District 108 for the drop-out rate in District 303, yet take the credit for the good students in 303. It doesn’t work that way. Parents are the ones responsible for instilling in the children the need for a good education. As parents we need to do a better job at home and stop blaming educators for our own inabilities.

Heh. I’m not sure if blaming parents so directly is wise, because Mangan will likely jump all over it – “108 blames the parents for their failures!” or some nonsense like that. However, I certainly agree with the premise. A poor educational environment at home is challenging and sometimes impossible for even the best educator to overcome. I also agree that Mangan’s claim that all of 303’s problems derive from 108 is nonsense.