June 15, 2014

Andy Polhamus
South Jersey Times
309 S. Broad Street
Woodbury, NJ 08090

RE: Hot classrooms – Child abuse or a teachable moment? Some comments on your article about the horror, the horror of reading, ’riting, & ‘rithmetic minus air conditioning

Mr. Polhamus,

I am a Jersey guy – Bayonne – long gone. I am always on the electronic prowl for Garden state goodies.

In your story about school kids in South Jersey having to cope with ambient temperatures 2 things leap to mind:

#1 – What did the kiddies do before aggressive A/C became the norm for K-12?

#2 – The teachable moment is self-evident.

45% to 50% of the electricity generated in this country comes from burning coal. 50% of that energy goes to power A/Cs. One need not be wearing 7 League boots to know that fossil fuels, with coal being the chief perpetrator, give us Global Warming. [Also, Global Cooling, Climate Change and, worst of all, Climate Disruption] If we are to think universally and act locally what better place to start than with our children? After all, children are our future, right?

Is Logic taught anywhere these days?


Kevin Smith


PS – As one Jersey Guy to another do you think if it’s OK to talk about Christie’s weight it should be OK to talk about Hillary’s fat ass?