LET TERS
SCORCHED EARTH
Rebuild? Do we understand this is a
new world and we have to change where
we can live? Do we understand that this is
only a beginning of hurricanes and floods
and fires, and rebuilding is a huge waste?
We are too late.
Ruth Duemler
Eugene
FAKE VICTIM
In response to the political truth jackass
claiming to be targeted by Antifa (Letters,
Sept. 14), let’s make a couple things clear:
You were hidden from the public’s eye
until you and your fake-goth girlfriend
started doxing (publicly releasing personal
information) those you believed to be af-
filiated with left-wing ideals. You were the
one putting people’s lives at risk based on
Facebook likes and careless accusations.
You were the one that chose to put yourself
in the spotlight of antifascists.
Does that make you a Nazi? Not neces-
sarily … but if you use their terminology
and are complacent in doing their bidding,
VIEWPOINT
it sure puts you on the wrong side of his-
tory. Does that mean you are not welcome
in Lane County? Absolutely!
It’s obvious by the way you start your
letter claiming to be against bigotry, but
spend the entire time hating on those who
have different opinions, that you have no
idea what the word bigotry means.
Stop playing the victim and take re-
sponsibility for your actions.
P.S. Communism will win!
Lola Bravo
Eugene
CLINTON DIDN’T LOSE
In reply to Jerry Ritter, Hillary Clinton lost
because she was up against the most childish,
despicable, dishonest campaign in modern
history, and that is “What Happened.”
In reality, she didn’t lose, because more
Americans voted for her than for her rival,
and only because of the flawed Electoral
College system was the “deplorable, irre-
deemable” Trump declared the winner.
Spud Smith
Oakridge
UGLY EUGENE
After the imposing downtown build-
ings, condos, rentals, etc. were built right
to the property line, so uninviting to the pe-
destrian traffic, I had hoped the community
would see the error in this. If Eugene wants
to increase foot-traffic downtown, or any-
where, there must be an attractive, inviting
corridor.
But the trend continues, with big unfor-
giving walls right next to the surrounding
walkways, encouraging hurried and di-
rected traffic from A to B with no pleasant
strolling. Now, on South Willamette, is the
monumental eyesore that is McDonald’s. I
don’t need to know anything other than
that the visual impact of this building is
abominable.
Please, can’t we consider the visual ef-
fect and sense of invitation when allowing
building impacts on neighborhoods? Big,
stark walls are not inviting. They look like
prisons and tag-friendly expanses, not pub-
lic spaces.
Using basic architectural principles,
we can still utilize land value and encour-
age public perception to invite people into
public spaces. Please, Planning Depart-
ment, put the kibosh on these seriously un-
friendly landscapes with buildings that can
reflect an interest in connecting people,
rather than repelling casual interaction.
Janna Abraham
Eugene
PREVENTABLE OUTBREAK
I was disturbed by a recent news story
from NPR reporting that an outbreak of
hepatitis A in San Diego has forced that
city to begin washing its downtown streets
with bleach. At least 16 people have died
in this outbreak and more than 400 people
are infected, most of them homeless.
The report says part of the issue is an
apparent shortage of public restrooms in
areas where the unhoused population con-
gregates.
San Diego County issued a directive
on Aug. 31 demanding the city wash its
streets with bleach and expand public re-
stroom access.
I am wondering if Lane County Health
B Y R O S C O E C A R O N A N D L A U R A F A R R E L LY
Democracy and Education
TOO YOUNG TO TEST?
K
indergarten: It’s German for “chil-
dren’s garden.”
Kindergarten is traditionally based
on playing, singing, story-time, creative
activities and social interaction. Not in
the “corporate model” education era, however. Now,
during their first three weeks of school, Oregon’s
40,000 kindergarten kids are given standardized
assessments in math, literacy and interpersonal skills.
How on earth did we get from the “children’s
garden” to the Oregon Kindergarten Assessment
(OKA)? House Bill 4165 (2012) established
early learning standards for children age 3 to 5. It
empowered Oregon’s Early Learning Council that
“supports practice-based evidence and data-driven
decision-making and accountability for realistic,
measurable outcomes for children...”
Since 2013, all school districts are required to test
kids upon entry into kindergarten. Oregon is one of
32 states that mandate such tests.
‘The test didn’t tell me anything’
In the “corporate model” era, teachers' voices are
rarely heard. Their opinions are mostly unsolicited
in the development of corporate education hallmarks
such as Common Core or the Smarter Balanced tests.
Around the country, including locally, teachers
are threatened with punishment if they criticize
standardized testing. School districts, state officials
and school boards are free to laud standardized
testing as much as they want. Teachers, however, face
sanctions if they offer a counter-narrative.
CAPE interviewed a number of local kindergarten
teachers to ask them about the Oregon Kindergarten
Assessment. They offered their views anonymously
for fear of reprisal. Here are some of those views:
4
September 21, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
On the worth of the tests
Teacher 1: “These tests are of limited use. They
take away from the earliest and most important work
in the first weeks: a child’s sense of safety and of
belonging in a classroom.”
Teacher 2: “The test didn’t tell me anything. It’s a
lot of time and doesn’t give me the information that
people think it’s going to give me.”
Teacher 3: “The assessments are not worthwhile.
They are a snapshot.”
Teacher 4: “The data? I don’t really get any useful
info from these tests.”
On the impact on the students
and classroom
Teacher 1: “It’s very invasive and not fair to the
children and the community we’re trying to develop.”
Teacher 2: “We are building a new community.
It’s hugely disruptive.”
Teacher 3: “For the ‘interpersonal skills,’ we are
told to ‘guess where the students are at’ based on two
weeks of observation. It’s extremely subjective.”
Teacher 4: “The beginning of the year is mind-
blowing for kindergarten kids. They don’t even know
where the bathroom is and we’re going to assess
them? They get okayed by the state and then they get
easyCBM’d (a district test) by the district.”
On the impact on teachers
Teacher 1: “It’s not only kindergarten teachers.
Assessment and fear will now start happening at
pre-schools, especially in the Head Start schools.
We’re just going to start making pre-school
miserable.”
Teacher 2: “It takes away the autonomy, creativity
and knowledge of the teacher.”
Teacher 3: “I trust the assessments I develop. I’m
not sure the district and state tools are the right ones.”
Teacher 4: “We test the kids as soon as they
are in our hands. It’s simply not right. We are not
trusted to make professional decisions about our own
classrooms, yet we are trusted to have these kids all
day long.”
Other Voices
Two internationally known “corporate model”
critics with ties to Oregon have offered their views
on the OKA.
David Berliner, author of 50 Myths and Lies That
Threaten America’s Public Schools, says, “Remember
the saying ‘Everything important in life is actually
learned in kindergarten’? I’ve noticed that none of
these essentials are assessed on standardized tests.”
Yong Zhao, author of Who’s Afraid of the Big
Bad Dragon?, says, “Going to kindergarten is not a
job interview. Children do not need to be ready for
kindergarten; kindergarten needs to be ready for
children.”
The only way we can get to a more rational
assessment system is for the public to question deeply
the current data-centered corporate model. New York
and Illinois have passed Too Young to Test laws that
prohibit standardized testing in grades K-2.
Oregon should do likewise. Contact your
legislators.
Roscoe Caron and Laura Farrelly are members of the Community Alli-
ance for Public Education (CAPE, oregoncape.org), a coalition of par-
ents, teachers, professors, students and community members who chal-
lenge the many assaults on public education and who believe in a strong
public education as the foundation for American democracy. For more
information about Too Young to Test legislation in New York and Illinois,
visit publicleadershipinstitute.org.