By Open honors classes a mistake

Let’s see if we have this straight. A similar open enrollment (honors) program was tried six years ago at St. Francis High School and found not to be workable, and now Mountain View High School thinks it should try it anyway (Town Crier cover story, April 26).

Common sense tells us only one of two things can result from adopting such a short-sighted approach. Either the non-qualified students will be in over their heads and decide to drop out, or the classes will need to be “dumbed down” by teachers to the lower level, completely negating the purpose for the honor classes in the first place.

Neither of these results are favorable: one affects the confidence and esteem of the students that don’t “make it,” and the other unfairly disadvantages the top students.

The objective of improving educational opportunities for all students is laudable. However, the place to begin is to elevate the education and achievement level of students in the lower grades so that they may be ready to handle the higher-level courses when they reach high school.

The MVHS leaders’ assumption seems to be that educating all students to the same level is not only a grand idea but also is possible. Again, common sense tells us that all students are not and will never be “equal” academically. Each student has his or her own individual gifts, but they do not all apply to academic excellence

We strongly urge MVHS not to take this planned action regarding entry into its honors program. This experiment will only hurt the students now passing through their important high school years.

Gordon PilcherMountain View

Is this what we really want?

I was deeply saddened to read that Mountain View High School has decided to eliminate all requirements to qualify for its advanced placement classes. In the politically correct view of Ms. Hyland, the principal, this was done because the AP classes were not diverse enough. This same logic would also imply that a teacher should not be required to pass any kind of qualifying exams before being allowed to teach, as long as he or she is a member of a minority group.

There are only two possible outcomes of this change in policy. The first is that the class material will be “dumbed down” so that the new, unqualified students will have some chance of passing the class. This will obviously lessen the challenges to those qualified students who desire a more rigorous schedule and I can see no benefit in limiting the potential of truly gifted students.

The other outcome will result in students failing the class who would not otherwise be admitted to AP classes because they are not qualified. Again, I don’t see any benefit.

To achieve excellence in any endeavor, individuals must have natural ability and a desire to work hard and succeed. Eliminating qualifications for AP classes sends a message to young people that neither natural ability nor desire is as important as diversity. Is that the kind of society we want to become?

Rick FullerLos Altos

Control the plants, control the crows

I agree with Lou Morgan (Letters, May 10) that an increasing number of American crows are becoming a threat to local nesting song birds.

When I moved to Los Altos 38 years ago, there were no crows. When a few appeared about 15 years ago, they were timid. Now crows are common, and becoming bolder.

And there’s more. Though crows are scavengers which will eat almost anything, they prefer tall trees, especially conifers for nesting.

As we replace our native oak woodland and oak savannah with pines and redwoods, we provide ideal habitat for these pests. We are encouraging them to succeed. (Such tall evergreens also rob our neighbors of sunshine in winter. I’ve read many complaints about”monster houses” blocking light, well don’t forget these giant trees).

If we want to control crows, we must control what we plant.

Ruth TroetschlerLos Altos

Enough is enough

The neighbors of the Springer Road and Edge Lane neighborhood have followed closely the Lee family vs. the Parkhurst-Wrights family issue surrounding a property line variance request between their properties.

In recent weeks, letters to the editor from Mr. Lee and his relatives have grossly misrepresented the variance request issue. They have also unjustly accused the City Council and our government as being nonresponsive and unfair. Anyone that attended the council meetings clearly understood that the Lee’s utilized their rights and had the full attention of the council and city staff, as did people who opposed the Lee’s.

Many neighbors attended council meetings and expressed favorably the variance proposal that would allow enclosing the breezeway between the house and garage of the Parkhurst-Wrights’ original farm house. The additional living space would adequately serve the growing family.

The alternate possibility if the variance was denied would be for the young family to sell their property to a developer who would legally build a large monster home on the property. The neighbors favor retaining the original basic style of the farm house.

The ironic twist in this story is the city approved a variance some years ago to allow Mr. Lee’s home and one other to be developed on the farmland property. In doing so, Mr. Lee’s property line was moved closer to the farm house, resulting in a substandard setback causing the need for a variance to remodel today.

Even though the variance was approved by the City of Los Altos, Mr. Lee has utilized his expertise as a lawyer to halt any construction by the Parkhurst-Wrights family. To this point, Mr. Lee has not succeeded to dampen the Parkhurst-Wrights’ family spirits, but has caused them to spend a portion of their children’s college fund for legal services.

The most recent rumor in our neighborhood is that the Lee family intends to forward this issue to the California Supreme Court.

I speak in unison with the majority of my neighbors to say, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.” Let the minor addition proceed, let’s not encourage a developer to build a monster home, and Mr. Lee, should quit utilizing the legal system to break the Parkhurst-Wrights family financially or spiritually.

In Mr. Lee’s recent letter, he has attacked our government and democratic system as being unfair.

The simple truth is he did not get his way. His displeasure sounds like old-fashioned sour grapes.

Jim and Deanna McGee

Los Altos