Golash right about importance of morality in school curriculum

I enjoyed your article concerning Mr. R. Golash, a retired Army officer, who is seeking a place on the Palatine-Schaumburg District 211 school board. How refreshing it is to hear from someone who realizes that a first-class education consists not only of rigorous academics but also helping our students develop a “moral compass.”

A healthy sense of morality (discerning right from wrong in our actions and attitudes toward others) is perhaps even more important than “science” and the “humanities.”

I am also glad you included a slightly different point of view offered by Jason Spoor, a social studies teacher and head of the District 211 teachers union. He seems confused by the difficulty in ascertaining what is good from what is not. After all, there is no consensus among all people. He relies on that adage of moral relativism that “what may be moral for one person may not be moral for another.”

To use an old phrase from my grammar school days (1946-1959) when public schools opened every day with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, Mr. Spoor appears to be “wishy-washy.” That is, he cannot summon the courage to put himself on the line to make a decision about leadership.

In mathematics, there is not much argument about what is right and wrong. Morality may be a bit more difficult, but perhaps I can use an example to illustrate that people can make good moral decisions.

I recently heard a story about an incident at the start of a minor league hockey game. All in the arena stood quietly as a young girl sang our national anthem over the public address system. About halfway through, the PA system failed.

The girl did her best to be heard in the large arena. At first, there were a few snickers. Then, someone in the crowd began to sing along. By the time she sang the last line, nearly all of the people in the grandstand were singing along.

This is an example of people making the right moral decisions.

Charles E. Glomski

Elk Grove Village