The following is a Counterpoint
By Earle Bower
Charles Davenport Jr.'s column, "Schools must return to basics to succeed" (June 24), is right on the mark.
When core values of the school system are diversity, empathy and equality, you know we're in serious trouble. As Davenport suggests, the emphasis should be on reading, writing and arithmetic. I'd suggest geography, history and science as well.
In getting back to basics, computers and cell phones should be sharply restricted in schools. Computer use should be limited to students who have demonstrated proficiency in the basics. It should be a reward for performance, not a substitute teaching aid.
A recent study showed that for high school students, 40–50 calls or text messages daily was considered light usage. Heavy usage was over 120 messages per day. That's over 7 calls per hour or more than one every 10 minutes during the waking hours. Some students text messaged friends across the room in class.
No student needs a cell phone in class. They should be left in lockers or turned in to the administrative office each morning. Students who need to make a call could retrieve their phone, make a call from that office, and then return it.
It would also be beneficial for students to do research in a library, as opposed to using Wikipedia. The student would learn a good deal more that way than by clipping an article from an internet source.
If the school system can't deliver on the fundamentals, it must go back to basics.
The writer lives in Greensboro.