Letter: Son watching DVDs in summer school
An undated file photo of a classroom. Credit: Newsday/Jim Peppler
My son has to attend summer school at Berner Middle School in the Massapequa District, since Plainedge did not offer the classes my son needed.
I find it nothing short of pathetic that I paid nearly $1,000 for two classes for my 17-year-old son, and he is watching DVDs for an hour in both classes. Nassau County is one of the highest-taxed counties in the United States, and I had to pay out of pocket for two classes -- only to have my son come home to tell me he watched "Forrest Gump" today and "Pleasantville" last week.
These films, fantastic as they are, may have a historic lesson, but if our high school students are not aware of the ignorance, apathy and gross conduct of segregation and racial inequalities, as depicted in "Pleasantville," then we have a serious problem.
This is electronic baby-sitting, for heaven's sake. I paid for my son to pull himself up by his bootstraps and further his understanding of U.S. history, only to have him watch DVDs. As a film major myself, I could have home-schooled him with my DVD player.
Eileen Scanlon, Bethpage
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