Dear Editor:
During the third week of December, John Bredin came to the principal’s office at Demarest Middle School. He mentioned that he had written a letter to the Reporter in reference to our Reading is Rewarding Program that is sponsored by the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce. During this meeting it was obvious that he did not have all the facts. I chided him for his “selective” research and asked why he did not seek out more information about the program before “taking pen to hand.”
Why did Mr. Bredin visit Demarest during the third week of December? He was soliciting students to enter an Art Contest sponsored by the Elks. At this time I challenged Mr. Bredin’s position and asked why was it acceptable to offer student incentives for Art but not for Reading? Mr. Bredin was relatively speechless.
Mr. Bredin’s actions are hypercritical. He doesn’t support incentives for reading but supports incentives for art. Maybe Mr. Bredin should examine Alfie Kohn’s work more closely? Maybe Mr. Bredin should practice what he preaches? Maybe the Elk membership should examine whether or not Mr. Bredin has the character and integrity to lead the Elks?
I applaud the Elks for all the incentive programs that they sponsor throughout the year — art, creative writing, athletics, etc. I applaud the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce, its president John Parchinski, and its very generous and community-minded member Ed Kleiner for investing in our country’s most valuable resource, its children.
My educational and professional experience has shown me that you can usually find research to support almost any position. You must be careful when you try to apply research to all situations.
Unlike Mr. Bredin who stated we started the program with the best of intentions, I seriously question his motives and maybe the public should as well.
Charles Tortorella
P.S. Students must read an approved book and submit a written report. For this they do not receive money as stated by Mr. Bredin, but a certificate worth about $3.00 redeemable at McDonald’s, Johnny Rockets or Big Fun Toys.