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in response to rational:

I am defensive. I do feel that the opinions and news articles are very "Chicken Little" and dramatic. Even the headline of the article is very dramatic. I also feel the comments are polarizing. The comments lead me to believe that some parents believe that its them against the school system or music vs. athletics, or all Maryville City elementary schools vs. Ft. Craig. We're all on the same team trying to work together to provide the best education we can for our kids. So, let's work together. I am responsible for MY childrens' education. The teacher is responsible for the group of children in their classroom. The school board is responsible for the education of the children as a whole system. I am offended at the approach some of these commenting parents are taking not necessarily what they have to say. I am personally very happy with the system and the education my kids receive. I would guess that most of the parents who chose to put their kids in MCS are happy. That's not to say there isn't room for improvement. I think the comments I have read reflect a vocal minority. I think a lot of the parents expressing concern over music are still hurt because of the Ft. Craig decision. But in my opinion, the Ft. Craig approach to education is not a new approach. Whole language, looping, multi-age classrooms have been around for a long time. The approaches may change names every 10-20 years but they are theoretically the same. Teaching is an art, not a science. The Ft. Craig teachers will not lose the essence of how they teach within the elementary schools. Its not going to be a negative transition unless you make it one. I do not think athletics needs a bigger piece of the pie, just part of the pie.