I attended the League of Women Voters candidates’ forum in Warner on Oct. 23 and was dismayed to hear Rep. Natalie Wells’s comments about public schools. While she advocated for private schools and home schools, something I agree with, she shared outdated and misguided information about public schools, saying families sometimes need to find a school where “one size doesn’t fit all.” She said public schools cannot always address the needs of the high-end students and others who have different needs.
In the Intertown Record (July 10) she said “non-public schools can offer a slow learner, a bullied, a special-needs child, smaller classrooms and hands-on to flourish.” This is true of public schools, too.
As a retired educator who spent over 26 years in N.H. public schools, I am keenly aware that individualized instruction replaced teaching to the middle about two decades ago. The Kearsarge District offers an appropriate challenge to gifted and talented students, as well as the learning disabled, and everyone in between. As a principal, I met families returning to public schools who were pleasantly surprised at the small class sizes and the plethora of teaching staff, providing a quality education to all, in a respectful environment.
Our representatives should advocate for the educational needs of all of our state’s children and not just the minority who attend private schools and home schools. This was the clear message delivered by Andru Volinsky, Dan Feltes, Clyde Carson and David Karrick. If you are a supporter of public schools, please vote blue.
JUDY PELLETTIERI
Warner