This whole no child left behind had really pissed me off. I think it is a ridiculous law that doesn't help any student. If anything it encourages more kids to drop out because they get discouraged about not passing the test. Teachers are teaching according to the test and not actual abstact thinking or logical thinking. You have to pass these "benchmark" tests or they won't pass their classes, nor will they graduate high school. How is this encouraging to continue your education? I know if I had been under the pressure that kids are under today to pass, I probably would have said forget it and just dropped out. I am a horrible test taker and unfortunately, my daughter had developed the same gene.
My 17 y.o. daughter suffers from ulcers and stress because she is constantly worried about the dreaded TAKS test (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills). She has almost given up all hope of going to college because she feels like she won't be able to pass the test to graduate. She had practically given up in school because her confidence has been shot to hell each time she flunks a portion of that test. I keep trying to be encouraging and tell her to try her best but she comes back with why because my class work means nothing. A kid could have straight A's in classes but if she flunks the TAKS test, they still flunk the class. What kind of encouragement is that?
I think about how G.H.W. Bush has messed up the education system for the whole country, that started when he was gov of Texas. I just don't understand. I just want my kid to graduate and move on with her life...out of my house.
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As a teacher I also dislike NCLB. I knew a few other teachers who hate it also. We like to call it ALL Children and Teachers Left Behind. I also agree that I would not have passed the test either. I can keep going on and on about this but I wont.
Thanks Karla for your comment. I wish teachers could say they don't want to teach that way but I know their hands are tied!
The No Child Left Behind act actually pushed me out of the classroom. I taught Kindergarten for several years and truly loved it. Then the act was put in place...all of sudden my little kindergarteners were forced to stay up all day without a nap, recess was cut to only 15 minutes, they had 90 minute blocks of reading without a break! It was ridiculous. No more show and tell, story time, snack time, or just time to play in a structured learning environment. The curriculum changed as well. Now, Kindergarteners are doing first grade work and so on.. It really took the joy out of teaching. I surely hope, that the next president kicks this act to the curb. We need a change and our children deserve a stress free learning environment.
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