Wow. Perhaps Hilary Emmer knows for a fact that all the older math teachers in Vashon schools are incompetent. But I doubt that, just because in my 30 years in education, I’ve never found any issue to be that simplistic.

I would agree with Ms. Emmer that when assessing the effectiveness of a system, each and every component must be analyzed with equal rigor. Period. But if you start by making assumptions and then let your imagination run wild in describing scenarios to the public, is it not then a very short step to becoming defensive and doing silly things (perhaps even legalistic things) against your supposed adversaries?

I doubt that a blanket accusation or a blanket denial is a good first step in solving any complex problem.

— Fred Strong