Calvert School a sure winner for city pupils
Your report Dec. 22 on the success of the Barclay Elementary and Calvert School partnership was very satisfying to note.
When the parents of Barclay took it upon themselves to challenge the entrenched Baltimore City school bureaucracy, it seemed hopeless.
But these parents and an outstanding principal wanted futures for their children. They would not be put off.
A quote by the previous superintendent of schools at the time indicated his total ignorance of the world-wide influence of Baltimore's own Calvert School.
The school administration seemed to have no notion that, rather than being some elite private school, the Calvert School is an ongoing laboratory for the widely-acclaimed correspondence school.
The State of Maryland Department of Education has recognized the program as legally acceptable for home education long before Barclay Elementary families made their move.
The Calvert School program has been used for many years by Americans who have found themselves and their children in far-off places doing things as varied as running charter boats and working for the World Health Organization or who simply choose to give their children a quality education at home.
The program, i.e. materials, course of study and regular communications with teachers at the Calvert School, are surprisingly economical.
We can hope that the Tesseract schools will be able to prove themselves.
I doubt, though, that the recent efforts by the city schools to find fault with the testing that seems to indicate poor performance will work out, unless the entire testing process is brought under scrutiny. But that's another can of worms.
Baltimore would be far better off right now to start betting on a sure winner when it comes to improving educational programs.
And it hasn't any time or, most especially, any more children to waste.
Patricia Williams
Baltimore
Beautiful music
I am writing to you in order to comment on the wonderful music program I heard on WBAL radio Dec. 22. The children were from third, fourth and fifth grades at the Tench Tilghman Elementary School in Baltimore.
I heard many schools perform on these Christmas programs, but I must say Tench Tilghman School was one of the best.
I especially liked the way the children gave their names and Christmas messages at the end of the program. It is obvious that these students are being taught pride and self-confidence at their school.
Congratulations to Tench Tilghman School, its principal, teachers and parents, too.
Ruth R. Stahl
Baltimore
Wrong candidate
The 1994 general election for the governorship of Maryland was lost when the Republicans failed to select Rep. Helen D. Bentley as their candidate.
Helen Bentley is a proven and dedicated public servant who served the state of Maryland extremely well.
Any request for assistance from citizens of her district was dealt with promptly and swiftly, regardless of political affiliation.
If one compares the accomplishments of Ellen Sauerbrey to those of Representative Bentley, there's no contest.
Helen Bentley was the best candidate in the GOP ranks and one who would have assured a predictable victory in the general election.
The Port of Baltimore is the heart and soul of Maryland and serves as the engine which provides the nourishment for sustained growth and economic development.
Helen Bentley is a doer and proven problem solver. She negotiated the difficult problem between the longshoremen's union and port managers with success.
Mrs. Bentley was endorsed by The Baltimore Sun and Gov. William Donald Schaefer, which made her the most qualified Republican to be elected.
Instead, the Maryland GOP rejected her during the primary election by a substantial margin. Personal attacks by Ellen Sauerbrey during the primary campaign were most unfortunate!
Representative Bentley has been the work horse of the Maryland GOP and made the party respectable. Shame on Maryland's registered Republican voters who failed to support her during the primary election.
Eli Rody
Timonium
War on Newt?
It has become quite obvious in the last month that The Baltimore Sun's hierarchy has decided unequivocally to declare war on the Republican party and in particular Rep. Newt Gingrich.
Day in and day out a relentless torrent of articles hostile to Mr. Gingrich is splayed on the editorial pages.
It seems almost as if The Evening Sun is determined to show its readership how very wrong it is to embrace belief contrary to its own. Fairness and bipartisan views be damned.
Even when your commentary writers are deliberating on non-political happenings, they cannot resist the urge to name-drop Mr. Gingrich in unflattering ways. You would think the man is the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler.
Your Dec. 14 Other Voices article from Gabriel Rotello included a last sentence, "So forget all those stories about the nice new Newt and fasten your seat belts." What nice new Newt stories?
The Evening Sun is loath to print anything but defamation of the man's character and platform. Might I remind you that the readers expect their daily newspaper to inform them of the news, all of the news?
Your dwindling readership is directly attributable to the fact that you have evolved into a one-party mouthpiece.
Like it or not, there are those who do not agree with your politics, and we are numerous.
Edward T. Rutkowski
Baltimore
Honor and soul
What's happening to the conscience of America?
The U.S. Conference of Mayors, in its annual report on hunger and homelessness, warns that emergency food centers and homeless shelters in many cities may soon be turning away deserving people because of a growing need and insufficient resources.
"I want you to know that this problem is growing and we need help, and it's not going to go away," said Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer.
In Baltimore, 62 percent of the soup kitchens, food pantries and homeless shelters surveyed by the Maryland Food Committee in November reported reduced services or the turning away of people.
In the state at large, 44 percent of emergency food providers reported turning people away.
All of which is most unfortunate at a time when Rep. Newt Gingrich and his "Contract with America" Republican cohorts are preparing to use a meat-ax on federal funding for the hungry and homeless and those on welfare.
An additional alarming aspect of the growing problem is that people with jobs are showing up at soup kitchens because substandard incomes do not permit them to cover their food costs.
It would be a grave mistake if the Republican majorities in the U.S. House and Senate interpreted their smashing victories in the fall elections as a mandate to sock it to the have-nots of the country.
Did this thought cross voters' minds when, in a strong show of displeasure with the Clinton administration's policies, they threw out Democrat incumbents in a mass protest? I think not.
As the greatest and most respected nation in the world, the United States has traditionally displayed a high level of compassion and rendered financial assistance to the hungry and the needy in lands far removed from our shores. Are we not about to embark on a callous, uncaring course against the neediest citizens of our own nation?
If the Newt Gingriches get their way, we may not only lose our honor but our soul as well.
Albert E. Denny
Pikesville
City's schools
. . . Regarding Baltimore's school funding lawsuit, the chart accompanying your article "Baltimore to sue state for more school dollars" (Dec. 2) was very interesting.
The chart shows that the city receives more state money than any other subdivision. It also shows that Harford and Carroll counties spend less per student than Baltimore City.
Yet Carroll County's scores are the second highest in the state and Harford's are the sixth highest, while Baltimore City is last.
Although I realize the city's need for financial help, more than money is required for an improved school system.
Parental involvement, effective administration, dedicated teachers and a safe environment for students who want to learn are all needed.
John Baker
Ellicott City