Not every flower has to be red, not every leaf, green - Submitted by a member

The fix lies in the words of so many of us who have gone to the mark time and again....kids show up for school when they want to be there...sometimes, it's the photography class, the Latin class, the automotive class, or the chance to sing that solo. Developmentally they look for the pleasure, the friend, the smiles, and the fun of a teacher who is a master at 'reading' their class...knowing when to take out the construction paper and re-introduce the concept through art. The 'success stories' of the latest MCAS scores tell it all....to participate in shops at Voke, your academic average must be acceptable...or no shop. To take the art class/music class/sports/ or other high interest areas, your academic average must be acceptable. They succeed to reach the 'carrot'. New Bedford will only rebound when the powers acknowledge what they've done to the 'carrots' in our garden...the very precious arts, sports, high interest areas where kids can dream, and restore them to full services. Most college students will tell you....including those in Ivy league schools.....the high interest in their 'academic' side of their life didn't occur until their early twenties,when either the career path they chose, or the grad school they wanted, loomed in the future. Dartmouth has never sacrificed the joy of music...the marching band, the strings program, or their arts department. Fairhaven has an up and coming drama program, string program, arts program, and the rest...well, just ask any elementary teacher what helps students to perform well in high school...it's about keeping it high interest, colorful, diverse, and welcoming... not every flower has to be red, not every leaf, green. We know how to make this happen....just give our children the 'high interest' carrots, and help the garden grow !