There's something about Gary. (editor's Letter).Never before, in my three-plus years at this magazine, has one piece inflamed so many readers and generated so much mail. For the few of you who didn't see the column and have yet to write a letter about it, I'm referring to Gary Stager's December topic, "Why Teachers Don't Use Computers," p. 47. In this column, DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION'S editor-at-large said IT staff were the reason teachers don't use computers in class. In case you missed his point, he added that IT personnel were "control freaks control freak Slang n. One who has an obsessive need to exert control over people and situations. Noun 1. control freak - someone with a compulsive desire to exert control over situations and people " who made "insane INSANE. One deprived of the use of reason, after he has arrived at the age when he ought to have it, either by a natural defect or by accident. Domat, Lois Civ. Lib. prel. tit. 2, s. 1, n. 11. , expensive and miseducative decisions." Gary's expertise and his ability to discuss issues make his column a substantial part of the magazine. Although he writes controversial columns each month about a variety of topics, this one touched a nerve. (For instance, we didn't get a single letter when, before 9/11, he loosely compared one side in the math wars Math wars is the debate over modern mathematics education, textbooks and curricula in the US that was triggered by the publication in 1989 of the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). to the Taliban.) December's column prompted at least 30 letters and proved something we've long suspected: people write longer when they're mad then when they agree with you. The bulk of letter-writers agreed they didn't like any of his ideas. The commonality com·mon·al·i·ty n. pl. com·mon·al·i·ties 1. a. The possession, along with another or others, of a certain attribute or set of attributes: a political movement's commonality of purpose. was striking: there were mentions of his bitter rant, his pouty rant, his petulant pet·u·lant adj. 1. Unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish. 2. Contemptuous in speech or behavior. [Latin petul rant, and that he is igno-rant. My favorite My Favorite is an independent synthpop band from Long Island, New York. They released two CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band. letters weren't the ones that agreed (yes, some did), but from the people who thanked him for caring so much that he formed a strong opinion. For those people, this issue is a keeper Keeper may mean:
Finally, Gary has written the first of a semi-regular feature in the magazine. Gary's Mac Advocate page (p. 51) offers some hands-on advice from a Mac user on how districts can use the computers in classrooms. (This section will split time with a similar page with a PC viewpoint.) Love him or hate him, agree or disagree, we hope everyone feels that Gary's opinions are worth reading, and reacting to. |
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