Cheers & Jeers: March 17, 2008

March 17, 2008 05:03 am

— CHEERS: to Plattsburgh's Common Council and mayor for finding a way for one community group to have access to the same privileges as another. In the past three weeks, the council authorized an autism-awareness group to conduct a fundraising mass walk in one lane of the street around the Old Base Oval but denied the Bishop's Apostles for Life permission to stand in parking spaces on Brinkerhoff Street on Good Friday to protest abortions at Planned Parenthood. The two votes had the appearance of being at odds with one another. Locally renowned pro-life advocate Bart Gaffney returned to the council last week to ask, in view of the vote in favor of the autism group, if the council would close off a lane of Brinkerhoff Street for an hour to allow the Bishop's Apostles for Life the same consideration. While Police Chief Desmond Racicot told the council safety was not at risk, there was still the constitutional question of church and state, Councilor James Calnon insisted. The council eventually voted, 3-3, to close off six parking spaces, which it had previously refused to do. Mayor Donald Kasprzak broke the tie by voting yes. In all, the debate seemed like much ado about very little. The prevailing consideration should have been consistency in the handling of like requests. In a very roundabout way, that is the outcome that emerged. A precedent has thus been set, and we urge the council to remember it in the future when any group asks for the same or similar privileges.
CHEERS: to Willsboro Central School for hosting and Westport for sending students to the recent Middle East Peacebuilders forum. Short of traveling to the region, the middle- and high-school students gained some first-hand knowledge as to what is going on in Israel, Palestine and Jordan. It's unfortunate that some other schools in the area did not take advantage of this learning opportunity.
CHEERS: to educators who make a special effort to take their students on field trips that tie in with New York State's and/or their district's curriculum. These excursions, when done properly with applicable assignments, add significantly to the learning process. Most field trips can be taken with a minimum or no expense, thanks to creativity, some hard work and dedication.
JEERS: to teachers who habitually mistake flipping a video/DVD into the slot without a thought-provoking assignment that ties into the curriculum for teaching. Videos/DVDs are a way to expand the horizon and perhaps make a lesson more entertaining, but they must have a purpose and outcome. They should never be thought of as frequent substitutes for creative teaching.
CHEERS: to everyone involved in the production of school plays. It is a difficult task to schedule these events between the sports seasons, which results in virtually all of them being held within a week or two. They can be among the most memorable and rewarding experience for the students involved and for the community members who attend them.