Relating to “Texas librarians, bearing the brunt of book ban battles, see their numbers dwindle,” (Aug. 11): I lately learn your article and it saddened me as a retired college librarian. Even within the age of know-how, the college library continues to be very a lot the hub of the college. They proceed to evolve to satisfy the wants of the scholars and college. However greater than that, the library supplies a spot for college kids to come back to discover their world with out the stress of requirements to be met or grades to be earned. The college library expertise is one in every of surprise and awe. College students study that right here they’ll discover one thing to learn for enjoyable and delight. And who makes this occur? The college librarian! She reads to them, helps them choose that one particular e book — why, she is even there to assist the workers. Libraries and librarians have to be within the colleges.
Susan Greer, Houston
Now we have to start out elevating our youngsters and never coaching them. This idea is like giving your new pet a deal with when he doesn’t pee on the carpet.
David Snyder, Deer Park
Priorities
Relating to “College Applications,” (Aug. 16): I query whether or not Mr. Homburg really learn the article in query, “Opinion: Applying to college? Make sure to check the state’s abortion laws first.” He doesn’t discover it horrible that a little bit over 1 in 4 feminine undergraduate college students expertise sexual assault, nor that 15 % of feminine undergraduates at UT Austin reported they’d been raped? He isn’t upset that 60 % of pupil single moms reside at or under the poverty line? Based mostly on his phrases, the one factor he discovered unhappy was that this “clearly clever younger lady” is considering forward to what she may must do if she turns into a kind of statistics? I discover that very unhappy.
Jean Tanner, Houston
Christine Eheman, Houston
Retired lecturers
Relating to “Retired teachers seek elusive pension boost as Texas banks $27 billion windfall,” (Aug. 15): Since my spouse is a retired instructor, I learn this piece with nice curiosity. Within the article, the writers point out that the majority retired lecturers don’t obtain Social Safety. What must be defined additional is that they, in contrast to many different employees, might not even obtain spousal loss of life advantages even when their partner was receiving Social Safety. If my spouse labored at Walmart or, for that matter, by no means labored in any respect, she would proceed to obtain at the very least a portion of my Social Safety funds have been I to die first. However not most Texas lecturers. How did this gross and apparent unfair remedy ever make it into Social Safety legislation? Possibly we must always ask Kevin “the Ronald Reagan of Texas” Brady, why the Windfall Elimination Provision was put within the tax code again in 1983 when Reagan was president. What number of devoted lecturers since then have needed to spend their closing years scrimping and saving each penny after dropping their partner’s Social Safety advantages? And why is that this provision nonetheless legislation?
Tom Pellegrini, The Woodlands
Schooled
Relating to “Opinion: I want to attend school without fear, without seeing the flag at half-staff,” (Aug. 14): A good friend lately requested me about my opinion of Donald Trump’s instructional stage, and I mentioned I assumed it was concerning the stage of a sixth grader.
After I learn sixth grader Kartik Dimino’s article concerning college security in final Sunday’s Chronicle editorial web page, I spotted I had both vastly underrated sixth graders or vastly overrated Donald Trump.
Possibly each.
Richard W. King, Pasadena
Because the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey approaches, we’d like to listen to about your experiences and reflections. Are there particular moments you’ll by no means be capable of neglect? Have been there classes discovered (or classes we nonetheless haven’t discovered)? Submit letters by way of this online form or to viewpoints@chron.com.
