College about learning, not dating and flirting

In response to the Oct. 5 staff editorial, “You’re in college; go out and date, the Web can wait,” I can’t believe that my fellow students, who uphold academics, would encourage students to “get out of [the] dorm room and become a part of the college experience.” If college life is to “flirt for fun or date for love,” then I believe that I’ve looked at Eastern the wrong way.

I do concede that it is human nature to crave interaction with other people, and I am certainly not against getting involved on campus. However, the major objection I have is the idea that dating is a core part of college life. It is not.

Why would we (or, rather, our parents) pay for a degree and then skive off and socialize? To be frank, there are much cheaper ways of doing that. Plus, dating in college does nothing for the first serious job search. Education should be why we students are here at Eastern!

Another objection I have to the rhetoric of this editorial is that there is no concession to those people who are love-shy like myself. Love-shy people have trouble even attempting to socialize, especially with the opposite sex. Was there any vote of confidence for those people? No! That part of the readership was marginalized through your hopefully accidental omission.

We’re here to graduate with a degree, not to socialize. If you’re going to socialize, go elsewhere and leave us scholars alone.

Thank you,

Michael Skasick

Freshman – English major

Basic skills test cannot show teacher’s value

How does a test much like the ACT make a good teacher? There are many wonderful test takers in the world, but that doesn’t mean they can teach. A person can know everything in the universe, but the true question is whether that individual can teach a class of 25 first graders.

The basic skills test is an insult to teachers and future teachers. Salary shouldn’t be increased to bribe future teachers, because in the end those educators will fail at teaching. The pay should be increased because true, devoted teachers deserve an increase in this hard economy. Many educators today spend their money in a classroom instead of on themselves. A student isn’t just some little child that needs guidance; instead, teachers make a vow and that child is part of a family.

A teacher wears many hats, the best are educators and care givers. Eastern is one of the best schools for becoming a teacher. I know this not because of some statistic, but my family all have attended Eastern and today they are wonderful educators. The basic skills test does get in the way of my dream because it’s not that I can’t succeed, but it’s harder.

Before any article is written about education, take a look into classroom and see what they’re learning. Many kindergartners no longer have nap time, but have to write paragraphs and count to not 100 but 1,000. In key, a test doesn’t make the teacher, only that individual can do that because it’s located in his or her heart.

Melissa Kubas

Elementary education and special education major