Culture affects education

I'm so tired of hearing the same old rhetoric — as in this paper's editorial — regarding why minorities lack success in the educational arena. I've taught for more than 35 years, and it's not the teachers or the educational establishment that's failing them. It's cultural. And, until the cultural deficiencies are corrected, nothing will change.

Asians do very well in school, as a cultural group, since they value education. But Latinos do not. Their culture tends to value work.

So, let's quit blaming schools and help change perceptions of what works, namely education, to bring about success in life. Effort equals success. It always has. In this country, if you want it, you go and get it.

Terry Gunn
Elk Ridge