Letters January 2004

An Enjoyable Account
Thank you for the copy of the October 2003 issue of Teaching K-8, which featured your story about our client, New School of Orlando ("Much Ado About School"). We're proud of our relationship with New School and Morrie and Karen Sorin. I was pleased to see the school praised for its accomplishments and for fostering the learning environment in which they believe.

I've always enjoyed my visits to the school, especially when I get to see Morrie interact with the children. He has a respect for the students that you can see mirrored back to him. I've learned a lot by observing Morrie.
Kenneth L. Searce, C.P.A.
Searce, Satcher & Jung, P.A.
Winter Park, FL

Upholding our Republic
At the time the Constitutional Convention drafted our nation's Constitution, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin, "Sir, what kind of government have you given us?" Franklin's response was, "We've given you a Republic, ma'am, if you can keep it."

His fears, sadly, are becoming realized. When I read an educator's magazine that identifies the government of the United States as a democracy ("How to Build a Citizen," by Mary Ellen Bafumo, October 2003), it becomes apparent that we're losing the government we were given: a republic.

Our forefathers worked hard not to establish a democracy, in which every person had a hand in every issue and "mob rule" (rather than majority rule) was the law. They had studied history and saw how democracy brought ruin and corruption. That's why they worked to establish, in their words, "a Christian constitutional Republic."

I would suggest that true "professional development" involves becoming an educated educator, beginning with researching our nation's primary documents.
Jennifer Powell
Vero Beach, FL

Mary Ellen Bafumo responds: America is a republic, but its form of republicanism is that of a representative democracy. Citizens elect representatives to our government, but we have control of the government through regular elections, petitioning and other methods. World Book Encyclopedia describes our government as "the closest thing to a pure democracy that a country with a large population can manage."

Beyond the mechanics of governmental form, we have simple usage. Noted historians (James McGregor Burns, Barbara Tuchman, Arthur Schlesinger and others), and our presidents have written and spoken about America as a democracy.

My goal was to promote knowledge about our government and the rights and responsibilities that go with it. I feel that more instruction and practice in citizenship is needed in our schools.

The breadth of the Founding Fathers' vision for a better form of government resulted in the latitude and flexibility of a representative democracy. It's the power of this country's democracy that strengthens us in times of crisis and allows us to remain a beacon for liberty and freedom. May it ever be so.

Photo Oops
The photographer for the August/September 2003 school story, "Teachers Leading Teachers," was Jesse Winsell. Teaching K-8 regrets the error.

January, 2004, Vol.34, No.4