OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
A4
EDITOR’S DESK
Trust is a fading currency in America today
T
oday, let’s talk about trust.
Our society functions
on trust. We buy food from
restaurants or grocery stores instead
of growing everything ourselves
because we trust it is safe to eat.
We drive 70 miles per
hour down the interstate
because we trust that
other drivers will obey
the signs that tell them
which direction to drive.
Jade
You are willing to
McDowell
trade people valu-
NEWS EDITOR
able items or work
in exchange for cash
because you trust other people will
place the same value on the rectangu-
lar pieces of paper in your wallet. In
terms of paper and ink alone, a $100
bill and a $1 are bill are no different
in value, but you would be willing to
put in far more work for a $100 bill
than a $1 bill because you trust the
system.
And yet, at every turn, people are
falling prey to the constant barrage
of messages telling them not to trust
anyone.
You’ve heard the messages over
and over, whether you realize it
or not: You can’t trust journalists
because they’re biased. You can’t
trust police because they’re racist.
You can’t trust teachers or professors
or academics because they’re tools
of liberal indoctrination. You can’t
trust religious leaders because they’re
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan, File
Ballots await sorting at the Umatilla County Elections offi ce ahead of the ballot deadline on
Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Elections are one facet of American society that rely on trust.
bigots. You can’t trust scientists
about climate change or COVID-19
because they’re just trying to con-
trol you. You can’t trust our national
intelligence agencies because they’re
part of the Deep State. You can’t trust
the military because they only care
about oil. You can’t trust doctors or
hospitals or public health depart-
ments because they just want to make
more money. You can’t trust secretar-
ies of state because they’re trying to
rig the elections.
At some point, when someone is
telling you not to believe anyone but
them because everyone else in the
world is conspiring against them, that
should raise a red fl ag. Think about
how you would feel if a date or a job
applicant acted that way — “I swear,
every single one of my exes who
says I’m an abuser are all crazy!”
Eroding trust in experts does not
bode well for a society that relies on
trust for everything from economics
to elections.
I’m not saying that there aren’t
people out there who are incompetent
and/or corrupt.
Every single profession has peo-
ple in it that are bad at their jobs
and should be fi red. For exam-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
COLUMN
Focus on the basics this school year
I
’m sure no one in the world
would have expected some-
thing so small that you can-
not even see it to turn everything
in the world upside down, but
COVID–19 did. School does not
look anything like it
has in recent years.
Stress ranges all the
way from kids up to
governing offi cials.
For the most part,
we have all come to
the conclusion that
what school looks Scott
like this year may Smith
last for quite some
time.
Though school today does
not look like 100 years ago, or
even 200 years ago either, chil-
dren still learned. If we take time
to focus on the “Big Three” —
reading, writing, and math —
every day our children will sur-
vive this year of unknown while
expanding their knowledge.
If children practice reading,
writing, and math every day, they
will make steady growth. They
do not have to read a novel or
write a book. If they read about
20 minutes at their appropriate
reading level each day, in most
cases, this will be more than suf-
fi cient. If possible, adding 10
minutes of reading orally will
give that extra boost too and pro-
vide some guided practice with
unfamiliar words. Extremely
important is for adults to model
the importance of reading.
Having younger children sit
with you as you read and ask-
ing them questions helps them
develop understanding and
improves their comprehension
skill. They will need comprehen-
sion later when they begin read-
ing to themselves. Older chil-
dren also benefi t from having
material read to them, and then
retelling what they heard. The
retelling what was read to them
aids in their development of
comprehension.
Communicating through writ-
ing is another key skill that needs
to be nurtured. Writing is one of
those skills that can easily slip
through the cracks, more so than
reading or math. Writing is the
hardest of the three and requires
the most skills to accomplish.
Just like us, kids do not always
want to work on things that are
hard. Having children write lists
is one way to help them develop
writing skills.
One thing that all of us can do
is write notes. We write notes for
ourselves and notes to friends and
family. Taking time to help chil-
dren use writing skills for notes
may just brighten someone’s
day while allowing the child to
improve in this area. For younger
children or children who strug-
gle, a way to help is to have them
tell you what they want to say
and then copy it onto the paper.
One of the fi rst steps in writ-
ing is being able to know what
you want to say, therefore pro-
viding this support for getting
information on the paper can be
a great relief. Copying the writ-
ing still provides the fi ne motor
skills needed for writing. It is
OK to copy. It is a way to help
your child record the ideas they
generate.
Math is all around us and
does not have to be learned
using worksheet after worksheet.
Helping students apply the use of
math in everyday life will build
their skills for when we are able
to return to the classroom. Ask-
ing questions like, “How many
spoons are we going to need for
dinner?” seems so simple yet
truly is abstract. Each person
might need a spoon, but you may
also need spoons for serving.
Also, allowing them to read
and calculate prices when shop-
ping to see which would cost less
gives them a chance to apply their
math skills. Another activity is to
have them use a tape measure and
measure things around the house.
Children love to measure and use
things adults use, but what you
are also doing is allowing them to
use their applied math skills and
practice in a fun way.
We are all busy and it does take
time, but if you can stop and say
to yourself, “My child read some
today. They practiced their writ-
ing when I had them make the
shopping list. And they had to use
their math calculating our cou-
pons.” Then no matter what level
your child is working at they spent
some time expanding the three
most important skills of learning:
reading, writing, and math. Stay
strong; you’ve got this!
———
Dr. Scott Smith is a 40+ year
Umatilla County educator. He
taught in Umatilla at McNary
Heights Elementary School and
then for Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity in their teacher education
program at BMCC. He serves
on the Decoding Dyslexia-OR
board as their parent/teacher
liaison.
Respect free speech
Two weeks ago, I put a Biden
Harris 2020 sign in my yard. Today,
it is gone. Stolen. Someone decided
my right to free speech wasn’t
important since it appeared to offend
that someone’s sensibilities.
I am certain there will be people
who say that’s what you get when
you put a Democrat’s sign on your
lawn in Republican Eastern Oregon.
I call BS! Just because I don’t agree
with Trump supporters doesn’t mean
I would ever tear down or spray
paint their Trump signs. It is tempt-
ing, but what is the point? It is your
right to spout whatever is in your
head because we have free speech
in this country. We must be bet-
ter than this. So, we don’t agree. So
what? Hermiston has always been a
town who come together in a crisis. I
don’t see that any longer. What hap-
pened to us? Is supporting Trump so
important that you forget the people
you despise were once your friends?
Please vote. No matter who you
vote for, please cast your ballot. If
we lose our right to vote, we are no
better than the dictatorships Trump
admires so much.
Voltaire wrote, “I do not agree
with a word you say, but I will
defend to the death your right to say
it.” Those are words to live by.
Karen Talaski
Hermiston
Refl ect on what’s important
It is time to refl ect on what is
important. A wise man once told
me, “Sometimes the right thing,
and the hardest thing, are the same
thing.” Over the last decade Dis-
trict 57, serving Umatilla, Mor-
row, Gilliam, Sherman counties, has
been extremely blessed with pros-
perity from the Oregon Legisla-
CORRECTIONS
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VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 36
Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2673
Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
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The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN
8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston
Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838,
(541) 567-6457.
ple, it seems at least once a year at
least one person working in educa-
tion or coaching in Umatilla or Mor-
row counties ends up in the news for
being charged with sexual miscon-
duct with a student.
And yet, if everyone suddenly
started pushing the narrative that
most teachers are sexual predators,
and schools are full of rapists who
will attack your child any day now,
that would be untrue, unfair and
unhelpful.
Instead, parents should talk to their
child about appropriate boundaries,
schools should put policies in place
that help prevent abuse, administra-
tors should immediately pass reports
of abuse on to law enforcement and
unions should not make it unduly dif-
fi cult to remove abusers. Then, par-
ents should trust that if they sent their
child to school they will be taught
by many decent people who truly
care about their child and are helping
them learn.
Think about your friends and fam-
ily. What professions are they in? Do
you trust their expertise? Now con-
sider this — what do you think is
more likely? That you just happen to
know one of the few decent teach-
ers, police offi cers, doctors, lawyers
and mechanics around? Or that per-
haps the good, competent people
you know are the rule rather than the
exception?
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Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St.,
Hermiston, OR 97838.
Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2020
It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as
soon as they are discovered. Incorrect information will be
corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited on the Opinion page
will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in
the online versions of our stories.
Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com or
call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report
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SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the
Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves on local,
state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer
letters should be kept to 250 words.
No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person.
The Hermiston Herald reserves the right to edit letters for
length and for content.
ture. We’ve received funding for key
developments — from school reno-
vations, to housing projects, to pub-
lic health opportunities, and so many
more. Essentially, the state of Ore-
gon has funded more than $200 mil-
lion worth of projects within District
57 over the last 10 years.
Now, during this time of crisis,
we must be prepared to modify our
expectations. Our focus needs to
shift from developing new opportu-
nities for ourselves to rebuilding this
great state. We’ve seen generosity
and the power among us when we all
come together.
Over the last week, we’ve
watched many Oregonians endure
tragedy, and whether we have been
affected directly or not, we feel it.
Families are losing their homes, their
livelihoods, their possessions and, in
some cases, their loved ones. Again,
we may not be there, but we feel it.
Our friends and neighbors across
the state are facing the effects of
the coronavirus pandemic and now
extreme wildfi res, and no matter our
own personal situation, we feel it.
An already tight state budget
must now be realigned to help our
fellow Oregonians with their most
critical needs. Priorities that may
have been deemed earlier as cru-
cial could potentially be eliminated.
These decisions won’t be easy, nor
popular, but our shift may very well
refl ect the right thing and the hard-
est thing.
In tragedy comes courage and
great strength, and I have no doubt
my fellow Oregonians will rise from
the ashes. These diffi culties can’t and
won’t hold us down forever. As a
family, as a city, as a district, and as
a state, it’s our responsibility to help
pick up the pieces from this immense
loss and offer our support.
Representative Greg Smith
House District 57
Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers.
Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include
a telephone number so they can be reached for questions.
Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be
published.
OBITUARY POLICY
The Hermiston Herald publishes paid obituaries. The
obituary can include small photos and, for veterans, a
fl ag symbol at no charge. Expanded death notices will be
published at no charge. These include information about
services. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper
punctuation and style.
Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at
hermistonherald.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@
hermistonherald.com, by fax to 541-276-8314, placed via the
funeral home or in person at the Hermiston Herald or East
Oregonian offi ces. For more information, call 541-966-0818 or
1-800-522-0255, x221.