EDITORIALS

A Feast for the Eyes, the Ears And the Soul

If there is something that pulls people together, it is art. Uplifting, cathartic, puzzling or disturbing, art is transcendent. Between Oct. 5 and 14, Evanstonians will have art in abundance - nearly every kind of artistic expression and most every possible venue throughout the City.

We are fortunate that so many talented artists not only make Evanston their home but are willing to share their talents in this community-wide effort. We can watch, we can listen, and we can participate. Starting with the dedication of our newest public art piece in downtown Evanston on Friday night, Evanstonians will have a week-long feast for the soul.

We salute the City for its efforts and our many, many artists for their talent, creativity and generosity.

We Should Talk

In his Sunday column, Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune said - in the context of the recent criticism of television commentator Bill O'Reilly - that he would like to see more conversation about race and class. From time to time on this page we have advocated a frank discussion of race in this community.

In the last two weeks we have seen some of our youth yelling racial obscenities in the downtown area. We have also seen adults hurl the charge of racism at other adults who disagreed, or just might have disagreed, with them about extending the contract of Superintendent Hardy Murphy.

Incidents such as these are discouraging. They result in divisiveness and polarize a community.

It is easy to say that white people do not understand black people and black people do not understand white people. That is the beginning, not the end, of the conversation. Books of all kinds are premised on the idea that men and women do not understand each other. Divorce seems to bolster that case. But it does not seem to stop flirtation, affairs, courtship or marriage. And it does not mean that we quit trying.

Tolerance and understanding are not innate, but we believe they are endemic in Evanston. Moreover, we believe the distance between each of us as Evanstonians is not as great as the recent name-calling would suggest.

We invite our civic leaders to help show that this is the case.

Aging Gracefully

By Charles Wilkinson

When Cliff retired, he started acting "strange." At least his wife thought so.

"You have to understand, Doctor," she told me. "Clifford has always been the soul of propriety. He dressed impeccably, had his hair cut twice a month, was always gracious and perhaps the most patient man I have ever known. But now…" Her voice faded as she turned to her husband of more than 40 years.

"Now, what?" he snapped. She flinched and shook her head, her silence telling him he knew very well what.

"It's not just me that's the problem, Doc; Gladys is all over me these days. She calls me a fool, tells our friends I'm ridiculous and never stops telling me how to live my life."

"But where's the Clifford she just described?" I asked him. "Gladys thought you were something really special."

"I'm still me, Doc; I'm livin' life. Gladys wants to ‘age gracefully,' whatever that means. Me? I want to make the most of what's ahead."

As the session continued, it became clear that the couple were experiencing a later-life crisis. Cliff had decided that retirement was a starting point, not a turning point, while Gladys began to embrace the realities of aging. She was, she said, looking forward to the slowed-down pace of the coming years, seeing friends, traveling, enjoying the grandchildren and, she said it herself, aging gracefully.

Cliff winced at the phrase. He was wearing an open-collared sport shirt, a gold chain necklace and his hair was wind-blown every which way.

"I'm not ready for any of that, Doc. I'm learning tennis, playing more golf and finally doing what I've put on hold for years," he said.

"Good for you," I said, "but what about Gladys? Where does she fit in these days?"

"We do dinner and movies and play cards with friends, but she hates the tennis club and doesn't play golf. I tell her to do things with herself, like I'm doing, but she's always been a homebody. I just don't like being bored."

Obviously Cliff and Gladys were in very different places. The bad news was that neither of them was about to change. The good news? Their differences, if they let them, could move them to a new meeting place in their marriage; and they were wise enough to know that would not happen without talking or seeking help.

It is important to define and maintain one's own space in any relationship, particularly marriage. In the aging years, however, the more important work lies in taking extra care of and expanding the shared spaces. This requires sensitivity on both parts to what should define the relationship - a focused love.

Making room for and living with - not warring against - the differences can result in a special gracefulness, as well as a renewed sense of life, for any couple's later years.

Grandparents

By Peggy Tarr

Grandparents Day was Sept. 9, the second Sunday. I was not fortunate enough to know any of my biological grandparents, but I had the pleasure of relating to the grandparents of others.

My buddy in grade school was not an ideal student, but for the most part, she wasn't rude to teachers. It was a different story with her sister. Teachers, counselors and principals shuddered at having to deal with her. She was bad every day in every way. Both my chum and her evil sister were terrible toward their parents. They screamed, cursed, threatened and challenged every word or request their parents made.

But their treatment of their grandparents was like a commercial in which suddenly there's soft music, rainbows, blue skies and halos. My buddy and her sister would stop at their grandparents' house after school to see if they needed anything, and on Saturdays, they would clean their grandparents' house. A miracle! Their grandparents hugged and kissed their precious grandchildren and bragged about having the best grandchildren in the world and thanked them for being so kind and sweet and considerate. It was like magic, or was it?

I was part of a crowd waiting in the international terminal for the arrival of visitors, friends or relatives. Many of us had been waiting for a very long time for passengers to get through customs. We stood behind ropes that kept us from blocking the passage of those arriving and exiting through the door in front of us. A little girl around 4 years old exited, pulling a little pink suitcase on wheels by the handle while walking in front of her parents. Suddenly, she dropped her suitcase, screamed "Grandpa" at the top of her lungs and ran to a man who stooped down to welcome her embrace. Wow! The crowd ooohed and ahhed. What a tribute to grandparents!

BUBBE NANA GRANDMA GRANNY GRAMMY GRANDPA A BUELO GROSSVATER NONNO

Letters to the Editor

LETTER FROM SHARON SHEEHAN
Dear Members of the District 65 Community:

Dear Members of the District 65 Community:

In April 2005, more than 6500 Evanston/Skokie voters elected me to the District 65 Board of Education on a message of "Vote for Change," to change some of the practices at District 65.
It is now apparent that, despite my best efforts and those of by far the top vote-getters in the last three School Board elections, change will not come. Because, under these circumstances, I cannot fulfill the mission I was elected to pursue, I am hereby tendering my resignation as a member of the District 65 Board of Education.

I came to this Board with the expectation that District 65 could indeed be "the Lighthouse District," that it could provide its students with outstanding educational leadership. I was naive enough to think that we could have leadership that actually relied on sound information and judgment to plan ahead for the fiscal and instructional needs of our District.

I believed - and I still believe - that we can do better than a leadership that lets more than 500 students leave our District virtually unacknowledged, with no analysis of the causes and no planning for the consequences.

I believed - and I still believe - that we can do better than a leadership that watches our technology age into obsolescence and then suddenly asks for millions of dollars while saying, "Give us the money and we'll show you a plan."

I have been told that my expectations for our district are too high.

I do not believe that we can ever expect too much for the education of our children. We may not achieve all that we aim for, but that is no excuse for not aiming high. Sadly, this is not the prevailing view among either the elected or the appointed leadership of this District.

I cannot accept that what we have is "good enough" and still remain true to my personal ideals and to those who elected me to pursue them.

The highest quality education is, and long has been, the focus of my aspirations. I will continue to pursue such excellence in my professional career as a teacher, where, I now know, unlike my position as a Board member, I can have some hope of success.
-- Sharon Sheehan

Oakton: A School with A Big Heart
Editor:

Our youngest child started kindergarten last week, and like many around the globe it was a moment greeted with much anticipation and excitement. For me, there was also great sentimentality in watching our baby go off to the big leagues.

Sadly, stepping into new situations is difficult for our daughter, and so the drama of the good-bye began. Despite countless conversations and counsel on how best to make the transition, frankly, last week could not have been worse: first her wanting to bolt out of the playground, then needing to be carried up to the school steps, and finally the dismantling of her from me (complete with one, two, sometimes three staff assisting in the separation).

That moment was traumatic for everyone: her, me, on-lookers. But the moment passed quickly, as the teachers, administrators and staff adroitly shifted the scene from oppressive to optimistic.

By the second day, our new interim principal and new assistant principal greeted her by name and wished her a good day.

Each subsequent day, we received unprompted mid-morning emails from her teacher, informing us that she was doing beautifully - right in the mix with all the kids.

In fact, one morning as I was tearfully leaving the grounds, the custodian approached to tell me I would be fine. Then, before I made my final exit, he returned to tell me she was fine: that he had gone to her class and talked with her directly about her upcoming day and her second-grade brother.

Then he returned to report to me that she informed him, without hesitation, that she was doing great and so was her brother.

This kind of encouragement and support is what makes ours such an incredible school community. The nurturing our whole family has received during this process is exceptional and warmly welcomed.

Oakton School often has a bad reputation in Evanston, alleged to have racial and economic issues, teacher turnover, and complications with our three independent learning strands.

But while every school is mired in bureaucracy, there are few that boast such a diverse, inclusive and nurturing school environment.

We had many choices about where to send our kids to school, and we feel proud and thankful to be part of Oakton Elementary School.
--Cece Lobin

The Question He Should Have Asked
Editor:

I was listening to C-Span the other morning while getting dressed. A caller, a 16-year-old boy, called in to ask the guest, a Republican Congressman, whether the draft was going to be activated.

Of course, the Congressman said, "No way," and reaffirmed his commitment to resist any move to activate the draft.

This boy asked the wrong question. If the draft were ever to be reactivated, Congress would do it during a fit of passion following some extraordinary event, i.e. a major attack on our country or the introduction of a new theater of operation such as war with Iran.

The caller should have asked the Congressman this: If there is no chance the draft will be activated, then why doesn't Congress end the requirement that all 18-year-old males must register for the draft?

Think about it. Are our soldiers stretched to the max? What are the chances that our country will be engaged in another conflict soon? Start connecting the dots.
--Rick Davis

Just Because …
Editor:

It is always important to give recognition where recognition is due, just because. I know there are official forums that honor teachers in our community - one being Teacher Appreciation Week throughout district 65.

However, I don't know of any formal effort to thank the early childhood educators in our City whose role is instrumental to the development of our children. I am grateful to all early childhood teachers for their hard work and commitment to the kids in their classrooms.

However, there is one in particular that I would like to thank personally, a real gem, who deserves some acknowledgment and my personal gratitude. Thank you, Shonn C. Allen of Toddler Town, for the gift of your enthusiasm, humor, devotion, creativity and compassion. You are truly a great teacher.

So, just because … I wanted to say thanks on behalf of my own children and countless others for being such a positive role model and great teacher.
--Jean-Marie Freise

More than One Five-Cornered Intersection
Editor:

A Fountain Square item reflection
"Only five-cornered intersection"
Misses four blocks away
Where there is an array
Of a Lake-Grove-Judson connection,
-- Robert Bagby

Innovate or Stagnate?
Editor:

This is the stark reality facing Evanston right now. The way we do business, how we relate to the needs of the community and the way we define the quality of our daily life will decide the character of the community we are developing.

Evanston is an intellectual capital, the third-most educated city in the United States with an enviable lifestyle and great location. But we are a community looking for a direction.

When Robert Frost wrote "two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both. ... I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference," he could have been talking about us. We have choices.

At present a 49-story condo project is being considered for development in the core of our City, the golden triangle. The issue, many feel, is height and density but it goes much deeper then that. It's about the direction our City is taking as we head into the 21st century. The path we choose will determine the character of our City for decades to come.

One path is to stagnate: The community will be a comfortable place to live, but bloated from an overabundance of condos, rental units and eateries. From this road we will watch other cities and college towns embracing future opportunities, while we continue to follow last century's agenda.

The other path is to innovate and become a vibrant global community: We need to create the jobs of tomorrow and market our City to the rest of the world. We need to leverage our intellectual capital to move forward. We need to develop and build corporate centers that support current and future technology. We need to work with developers willing to see our vision. We need to enforce our zoning laws and keep commercial property commercial. Our greatest asset is our intellect and the future is the business of knowledge.

Kellogg Business School is a $200- million-per-year enterprise. It's successful because it's smart.

As a City we need a vision and a new economic development plan that is driven by core values consistently applied, not special interests. We need to make decisions and take actions that support that vision for the decades to come. Most importantly, we need to bring political representatives, stakeholders and private citizens together. Only by working together can we make it happen.

As President John F. Kennedy said, "Let us begin."
-- Dr. Stamata Blanas

Moving from "Good to Great"
Editor:

Given that the D65 Board granted Dr. Hardy Murphy a contract extension, our community must focus our energies in a positive direction toward moving our schools from "Good to Great." All children deserve to learn and be challenged in an environment where academic excellence is expected and provided.

A commitment to excellence needs to be embraced by all constituencies, starting (and most importantly) with parents, and including students, support staff, teachers, administrators and the Board of D65. Everyone is accountable. A partnership with all groups needs to be developed to provide the appropriate environment and culture to accomplish this goal successfully.

The new principal of Walker Elementary School, Karen Evans, seems to understand. In a recent interview she articulated that our children will be "competing with children from all over the world." We live in a global world which is increasingly knowledge-based. The cost to our children, all children in the Evanston community, is too high if they don't receive a great education.

Dr. Murphy has the opportunity to provide the leadership required over the next five years.

While imperfect, District 65 has shown tangible signs of improvement. These accomplishments cover many different areas and our community should be pleased with these developments.

However, more improvements and higher goals need to be established to foster an environment where learning, not just testing, is encouraged. Achieving state- mandated goals on the ISAT is necessary, but not sufficient. Schools where each student is given the opportunity to excel to their maximum potential will make the community proud.

Our Board needs to establish high yet achievable goals for our Superintendent. Accountability and transparency are key tenets of strong governance.

Dr. Murphy's leadership with our principals, teachers, staff, students and community is needed at this critical time. I hope that all parties recognize the urgency and importance of these issues.

Evanston is a thriving and dynamic community with outstanding public institutions such as the public ibrary, Levy Center, Ecology Center. Our community also deserves great public schools, and most importantly our children, all Evanston children, deserve the opportunity to obtain a great education.

Dr Murphy, please provide the leadership; D65 Board, please provide strong governance; and parents, please provide the support to make our schools great.
-- Jim Young

A Principled Resignation
Editor:

Sharon Sheehan's resignation from the District 65 Board of Education is cause for us to reflect both on Sharon and on District 65. We did not really know Sharon prior to her decision to seek election to the District 65 Board. Since then we have come to have great respect for Sharon as a public servant and affection for her and her wonderful family.

Sharon is the consummate professional, and she brought that professionalism to her Board service.She read all documents thoroughly, scrutinizing the facts and figures presented to her to make sure they were accurate, made independent inquiries of various District stakeholders to obtain more complete information, and asked searching questions. While some derided her as a "perfectionist" for the rigor she expected from District employees, it was only a fraction of what she demanded of herself.

Sharon is also a person of great integrity.Many Board members have claimed that their decisions were "data-driven," but Sharon's always were.Calculations about who might be pleased or displeased with her vote were never a consideration inhow Sharon voted on the Board.

Sharon's decision to resign is simply the latest evidence of her rock-solid integrity.Some people will undoubtedly condemn Sharon as a "quitter." But resignation in protestis an honorable - if too little practiced - tradition in public service.There is, for example, Nixon Administration Attorney General Eliot Richardson, who resigned his post in protest of the firing of the Watergate special prosecutor.

And don'tmany of us wish that Secretary of State Colin Powell had resigned in protest of the Bush Administration's reckless rush to war in Iraq over his objections?The message Sharon has sent with her resignation - that we must never lower our expectations -- may be the greatest service she could have rendered for our community.

Finally, that we could notretain the service of someone like Sharon Sheehan on ourBoard of Education should be troubling to all of us in the District 65 community.

What does it mean when a woman of Sharon's talent and commitment comes to feel that her service on the Board is not only so unappreciated, but, more important, so ineffectual, that she should end that service? What have the relative roles of the community's elected representatives and the people they employ become that this should be so?

Given the events of this past week, there is nothing that can be done on this score for a long time. But perhaps Sharon has sent us a message that we can usefor the long haul.
--Jonathan and Bonnie Baum

Sheehan Has Served Well
Editor:

Since April 2005, Sharon Sheehan has served the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 community with extraordinary intelligence, honesty and integrity. Some of her accomplishments bear mentioning:

Although District 65 joined the Minority Student Achievement Network when it was founded in 1999, the District did not actively participate. I am proud of the fact that it was Sharon who got Dr. Murphy to attend his first meeting in 2005.

Although members of the African-American community had been advocating an Afro-centric curriculum for years, Dr. Murphy avoided either endorsing or rejecting an initiative.I am proud of the fact that Sharon consistently tried to get Dr. Murphy to state his position publicly.

I am proud of the fact that Sharon demanded that data be presented clearly, accurately and completely.

I am proud of the fact that Sharon was so thorough in reviewing documents prepared for the Board or the public that she often found errors and omissions and insisted that they be corrected (though sadly, she was often ignored).

I am proud of the fact that Sharon held high standards for the District, demanding clear objectives for all programs, guidelines for student selection, and measurable criteria on which to evaluate each program's success.

I am proud of the fact that Sharon demanded a plan for how $5 million of debt for technology would be spent, even if the only response to her demand was, "Give us the money, and we'll show you a plan."

Finally, I am proud to call Sharon my friend.
--Kristin Brown

City Hall Proposal That Should Make Everyone Happy
Editor:

Since residents around City Hall want to preserve it, a solution would be for them to purchase the building, parking lot and grounds they sit on, make the necessary repairs they say are so cheap, and then rent it back to the City.

The remainder of the substantial grounds can then be sold to a contractor [or these residents] to put-up low-[or at least mixed-] income housing. Thus they can retain their North Shore liberal status while keeping their precious building and earn rental income.
--John Fuqua

Why Settle for Mediocrity in Schools and Superintendent?
Editor:

Rather than extending Dr. Murphy's stay I wish the District 65 Board hadbegin a search for a new superintendent.

Hardy Murphy, over the course of his tenure, has created an atmosphere of disorganization and conflict.

Rather than working in an organized constructive fashion and creating a School District that Evanstonians canfeel confident in, Dr. Murphy has created an atmosphere that pits GenEd against TWI against ACC; additionally, programs are whipped together,and the result is a mediocre education for our children.

While we arestill Evanston residents, after a dissatisfying second-grade yearand a bleak look at what D65 has to offergifted children,we have opted to send our son to a privateschool. Unsurprisingly, at this school, we havemetother former D65 families.

D65 should have better leadership at its helm. The quality of our schools should be a reason for people to move to Evanston, not to leave it.

Recently, I have spoken with parents of different racial and economic backgrounds who have either left Evanston,have gone the private school route, or are checking out private schools for next year. Dissatisfied with the status quo,parents are pulling their children out of D65 schools.

Rather than pitting the parents of the different programs against each other and creating a District that is not functioning cohesively, why not hire a leader who can helpcreate strong programs that we all can be proud of and from whom the children will benefit? Why settle for mediocrity.
-- Rebecca Groble Hull

Sheehan Will Be Missed
Editor:

The decision to renew Dr. Murphy's contract through 2012 seems to be based on the most recent increases in ISAT test scores. Board member Bonnie Lockhart stated that these scores were the highest gains for African-Americans in 40 years. Perhaps she spoke too soon.

Days later, the lead story in the Chicago Tribune explained that the 2007 ISAT was less rigorous, accounting for the inflated scores. Other problems with the scoring of the ISATs were outlined in a letter to the RoundTable by John Fuqua. These ISAT scores and issues will come as no surprise to teachers, or to former Board member Sharon Sheehan.

Ms. Sheehan continually advised setting higher educational standards than yearly progress on the ISATs. She understands that accountability isn't that simple, that real accountability entails following research concerning best practices, differentiated instruction and a close inspection of student work, certainly not the kind of student work of grill and drill for the tests.

The irony is inescapable. The Board member, a teacher herself, who truly understood the complexities of evaluating student progress is the one who felt forced to resign rather than work with this current self-serving administration. Again, politics and power rule the day while honest intellectual examination of the data is ignored.

We'll miss Ms. Sheehan's presence on the District 65 Board and are appalled at the most recent decision to renew Dr. Murphy's contract.
-Vikki and Sheldon Proctor