‘Kozol-ology Obscures the Facts’

As a retired New York City educator, I spent many years in our city’s schools [Oped, “Kozol-ology Obscures the Facts,” August 23, 2007].

I have always felt that reduction of class size was one essential ingredient keeping our teachers and students from the success they desired, not that they didn’t try hard enough.

I have seen millions of dollars spent on educational programs that came and went, always introduced as the “magic bullet” that will prove successful here in our city.

Even when class size is addressed, it is still too large a number for one teacher to provide for between 20 and 30 plus students, depending on grade and school. Mr. McWhorter, you criticized Mr. Kozol for not addressing smaller schools, but instead promoting class size. How wonderful if we could have both — smaller classes in smaller schools.

Our schools provide educational and social services for our students. I’ve asked numerous educators that I have met to spend time in the schools, not just one of the “drive by” visits that are announced in advance.

Instead, for a week, get to see and feel what it is like to sit in a desk in a small, crowded classroom; go to a bathroom that often does not have toilet paper, soap, hand towels, or a door on the stall; eat lunch without washing up before or after the food is eaten; rarely have physical exercise during the day except for walking up the flights of steps leading to their classroom; or accept an assignment to teach — I could go on and on.

So far I have had no takers, although there was a reporter in California who accepted the challenge to teach for a week, writing in his article on the experience that after one day it was hard to believe there would be four more like it before the assignment ended.

I have not read Mr. Kozol’s book, but I know from his previous ones that he spends time in the very places he writes about. It gives him every right to report on what he experienced and what he proposes might work better. With school beginning soon, we once again have a restructured educational system — another top-down adjustment. I wish this one success, as I have for all the others.

Sharon Chertok
New York, N.Y.

‘2 Professors Fail To Clean Up Their Act’

There is something very puzzling about the charge made by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt about the “unmatched power of the Israel Lobby” [Arts & Letters, “2 Professors Fail To Clean Up Their Act,” August 29, 2007].

Jewish power failed to persuade President Roosevelt to admit refugees fleeing Hitler.

The Israel Lobby failed to convince President Eisenhower to end the arms embargo against Israel, failed to get President George H.W. Bush to allow Israel to respond to missile attacks launched by Saddam Hussein, and even failed to stop President George W. Bush from rescuing Iran’s ally, Hezbollah, at the last moment by joining with France’s President Chirac to pass Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon.

If the Israel Lobby had unmatched power, there would be no Hezbollah today.

George Jochnowitz
New York, N.Y.

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