Letters November/December 2005

Straight from the horse's mouth
I am writing to thank you for your recommendation for children's software. As the mother of a fifth grader, I'm always looking for ways to combine learning skills with fun activities. While volunteering in the classroom I came across a previous issue of Teaching K-8 magazine, and after reading your review of "My Horse Farm" software ("Blue Ribbon Reviews," January 2005), I purchased it for my daughter. It has quickly become her favorite computer game. The program challenges her and continues to hold her interest as she manages her horse farm, breeds new horses and sets up and runs her very own business. It is teaching her valuable skills while giving her hours of entertainment. Thank you for directing me toward this wonderful learning tool.
Kimberly Swist
Milford, CT

Corrections
Poet Nikki Grimes ("A Poetry Workshop in Print," October 2005) was born in 1950, not 1957. Upon alerting us of this, our columnist Lee Bennett Hopkins said, "Maybe she'll be happy to be 48 rather than 55 – I know I would be!"

In the August/September 2005 "Blue Ribbon Reviews" column, the phone number listed for One More Story was incorrect – it is 212-925-9416.

Sandra Feldman 1939-2005

Sandra Feldman 1939-2005
As friends die (the older I get, the more frequently it happens), my grief is assuaged by the legacy they've left behind.

So it is with Sandra Feldman, former president of the American Federation of Teachers and – beginning in August/September 2002 and continuing through our August/September 2004 issue (17 issues in all) – a monthly contributor to Teaching K-8 until breast cancer made it impossible for her to continue.

She succeeded Dick Riley, who wrote his monthly column in our magazine for each of the eight years (60 consecutive issues, beginning in September 1993 and ending in January 2001) when he was President Bill Clinton's appointee as U.S. Secretary of Education.

Sandy was one of those thoughtful, vibrant, exciting and charismatic education leaders – like Dick Riley, Ernest Boyer, James E. Allen and Albert Shanker – who challenged the status quo, rattled cages and inspired us all.

My comfort is that Sandy's legacy will live on. One couldn't ask for more.
Allen Raymond, Publisher

November/December, 2005, Vol.36, No.3