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>>SOUTHERN INDIANA —
Reader wants you to ask a teacher’
There have been various persons commenting on TV lately about “what is best for our schools,” namely, Bill Bennett and the new NEA representative. Bennett mentioned that class size was not important in the learning of a child. That is totally wrong. Then, out of the side of his mouth, he said we had no serious problem with grades one through three or four. How wrong. Give him the gong. I did many years ago.
Class size is important. My motto is, “ask a teacher.” You think they haven’t studied this problem?
There are some gaps in their education, namely psychology, but it is the teacher who manages the class. A few years back, the state of Indiana incorporated a good program. Hire more teachers for primary grades, pay them, and provide rooms for them, so that only 18 children could be in each room with one teacher. It worked! This is the solution to the learning problem.
Some children need intensive help, no matter what age, in primary grades. The maturation age is important. A full-time mother could not handle a roomful of 25 children.
As a former, retired teacher, I resent the implications of most people that there are teachers who are no good, and that they would be eliminated except the teachers’ union. What does Indiana want — a school system like Kentucky?
The teachers in that state have no recourse when it comes to representation for the teacher. Would we go backward 40 years?
I do not like paying teachers for what is called, “excellent work.” Pay the teachers. Stop putting so much pressure on teachers who are already stressed by large classes, etc.
“A kind word goes a long way.” We award the whole classroom for good work and behavior. That’s called “positive reinforcement.” The key word there is “positive.”
Primary grades are so important to learning, but grades four through six need small classes, too. Will the State of Indiana pay for that?
It is doubtful, especially since the big cut in resources.
Speak up teachers. The next subject is discipline.
— Martha Van Pelt, Georgetown
Sieg: Mansion has lot to offer
Recently, an article by Jenny Peter for the Vincennes Sun Commercial was printed in the New Albany Tribune with the heading: “Culbertson Mansion one of least visited DNR sites in state.” The article focused on the Vincennes State Historic Sites and their historic value to the Vincennes area.
Unfortunately, the article only mentioned the Culbertson Mansion State Historic site, actually located in New Albany, in an almost demeaning light in comparing its value to that of the Vincennes site.
The Culbertson Mansion staff is very knowledgeable in the history of not only the site and the Culbertson family, but also in the manner in which early residents of New Albany lived and the contributions they made in the growth and prosperity of this region and state. Public and school tours are a staple at the mansion giving children and adults an inside look into the rich history of a growing city and populace tracing Mr. Culbertson’s early beginnings from a store clerk to one of the most successful businessmen in the State of Indiana.
With rooms restored to their full glory, visitors are not only given a window into the past but also an education in just how such a complicated restoration is performed in areas which highlight the different stages that must be used to complete such a daunting task.
Besides tours, the staff, along with a large group of dedicated volunteers known as the Friends of the Culbertson Mansion, also host such events as Victorian teas, an annual herb sale and living history performances. Popular Murder Mysteries are held which creatively link actual historical figures to this area while focusing on the current events of the time in which the mystery is set.
And no mention of the Culbertson Mansion activities can be made without inclusion of its annual Haunted House and accompanying “ghostly” fun, such as candlelight night tours, sleep-overs and chilling stories of ghosts and goblins told on the creaky third floor. I think it is important to note that all fundraisers finance most of the cost of the restorations carried out at the mansion and enable any money allocated to it by the state to be used for preservation of the site.
Those are but a few of the educational and entertaining opportunities available for visitors to the Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site. What a devastating loss it would be not only as an educational window into the past but also to the heritage of our community should this grand lady be closed due to a perceived low site attendance. Furthermore, it should be noted that in terms of visitors, there are three other state historic sites that had less attendance during 2009 than the Culbertson.
If, as this article suggests, New Albany’s Culbertson Mansion is indeed in danger of being closed because of state budget cuts, it is time for The Tribune to feature a story promoting the many contributions our local historic site makes and the educational values it holds instead of printing an article which favors another.
— Mary Eve Sieg, New Albany
