Reply #16: From a teacher [View All]

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

NCLB is a terrible law that is doing nothing but harming our children and convincing teachers that the uphill battle isn't worth it. NCLB isn't a bad law because it's unfunded...funding it would only make it worse.

Here are some points about NCLB:

Schools must improve each year, as assess by standardized test scores. Sounds good, right? But hold on...if a school has 90% of its population pass the test, the next year the school must get more students to pass, or else it can be labeled needs improvement, and ultimately all the staff at the school can be fired (this has already happened at one school in Texas, I believe). What about schools that (miraculously) have 95% of the population passing...they can be labeled as needs improving if they don't get 96% of their population passing the following year.

NCLB puts new regulations on teachers' licenses above and beyond state requirements (keep in mind that education is a state program, as there is nothing in the Constitution about education, so the federal government shouldn't have much to do with deciding state education mandates). These new rules affect middle school teachers the most. Middle school teachers usually have a K-8 license, but often don't have an endorsement for their specific subject area (this is the category I fall into). This means that many teachers will have to go back to school and get another endorsement (we are talking thousands of dollars and a lot of time, and many teachers like me already have several thousands in student loans). If I did not already have a masters degree, I'd have to take 30 to 36 units by 2006 to keep teaching. Keep in mind that my degree is pretty fresh; I've only been teaching for 4 years, so it's not like I'm not up to date on the newest theories and buzzwords. If I didn't have my masters, I'd be forced to quit teaching simply because I cannot afford to go back to school (and I've already spent $25K+ getting credentialed). Half of all teachers quit in the first 5 years because of high stress and low pay. This law is putting additional stress on teachers, when there is already a shortage, making more teachers want to quit (including me, I've been seriously considering it).

Teachers, under NCLB, are held 100% accountable for student learning. That may sound fair on the surface, but think of education as a 3 legged stool. It takes all 3 legs to stand, and in this case the legs are the student, teacher, and PARENTS. I cannot teach a student who does not want to learn, AND has no support at home. Some children at my school are homeless, abused, neglected, non-english speaking, etc. But they still must pass the standardized test, regardless of aspects of their life that teachers cannot control. Yet teachers are held completely accountable for their learning.

Basically, the requirements of NCLB are unrealistic. I have given you a few examples, but there is MUCH more there. Teachers are already overburdened with teaching in classrooms with 35+ students (and NCLB has actually increased classroom sizes, I heard but cannot confirm). Do we really want teachers to be focused on teaching to the lowest common denominator because we have to get ALL students to pass a standardized test, or do we want to give children truly individual attention and help them to achieve their personal potential?