by Eva Clark

Created on: April 28, 2009   Last Updated: May 28, 2009

Does education put too much pressure on teachers and students?

I say yes, that the "so called" pundits of education put too much pressure on teachers and students in the public education sector. But, since I know that children, nor teachers are the problem with public school education, I say that they can handle it. They have been handling it. If you want to see peace, look into the face of a public school student, or of the teacher of this child. They are happy. Everyone else, but them, seems to be upset about their education. Children and teachers in public schools know that they can get the best out of their education, or that they can take the worst. This is a life lesson learned early and understood to be a "forever" lesson. Since all public school teachers are state certified and most are qualified and dedicated, students know they can learn, if they want to learn. It is a simple equation. Good students do well in good schools. Excellent students do well anywhere. Only the best and brightest survive, in any society, so why doesn't this apply to school cultures?

The No Child Left Behind Act was the most detrimental thing done to public education, since integration, I think. How a person with all the accoutrements of privilege that one could have, and only managed to sustain a "C" average in college, so they say, could ever have ushered into law something like NCLB, I'll never know. No one uttered a word of protest, as I remember. The Federal Department of Education fully endorsed this plan and educators across the states scrambled to implement these new standards in public education. Public School Districts had to comply with NCLB. It became the law of the land and it had not been thought through.

How is it possible that students, two to at least three grade levels behind, stand a chance of reaching proficiency on their state test within that year? A teacher is happy if a student gains a year's growth, academically and socially. It is good if the child gains two years. It is great when a student grows two to three grade levels in one school year. There is no way that the same set of standards can be applied to every student and sadly, some child has to be left behind. This does not mean that the child and the teacher are failures. It merely means that some children learn differently and come to school with varying social and economic backgrounds. There are so many contributing factors that NCLB did not take into account. I truly hope that we can work our way away from NCLB, or at least give it some serious revisions.

Let's support our students and their teachers. Teachers have the least amount to say about the curriculum. They are usually stuck teaching what the local district wants them to teach. Sometimes, these wonderful professionals are even told how to teach. The students get it, and while most of them wouldn't admit it, they actually like most of their teachers, and will do what it takes to learn, or whatever it takes not to learn.

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