Kudos to Eileen Riley-Hall on her commentary, "The kids who get left behind," Feb. 3. I, too, am a teacher (just retired) and could not have stated the issue better myself.
The state Education Department is trying to fit children of every shape and size into the same round hole, and it is just not working. Not only are we leaving behind children like Riley-Hall's daughter, but we also are leaving behind children from the growing number of horribly dysfunctional families, who are spending their lives just trying to survive and whose values in no way fit in with the sets of values needed to learn effectively.
I would like to suggest that our education leaders spend less time behind their desks and in meetings and spend extended time in the schools with the students and teachers who are living the reality.
LINDA MARSCHILOK
Troy