The July 26 column by Walter Williams (“Welfare state limits black opportunity”) was outstanding and should be applied to all students. As a teacher who has worked his entire life in continuation and alternative education, I can tell you without any hesitation that the welfare state is a major contributor to the break

down of family structure and the establishment of social values that are contrary to historical American work ethics and morality. Over the last three decades, an alternative value system has seeped into and corrupted the American value system to the point that I don’t think that it can be fixed.

Education is the key to success and the strength of our society. Educational success depends on parental involvement. Parents have to accept the responsibility

for their child’s education.  Parents have to spend time reading to their children and demand that homework be done. Parents are the driving force, and it is up to them to demand academic excellence from schools, teachers, and their children. It is their responsibility to stop the dumbing down of the curriculum and the lowering of educational expectations so that more will “pass.” This is a form of educational fraud.

Teaching has become more about test scores and discipline (classroom management), and less about teaching.  Teachers also feel that they are not valued by our society as evidenced by the low pay (compared to other professionals with similar educational and professional credentialing requirements). It’s no wonder that fewer and fewer people are willing to teach.

James H. Rogers

Yuba City