Are schools wounding kids? You bet they are!
Not intentionally, of course. Teachers love children. That’s a fact. People who don’t believe that are looking at teachers through their school-aged eyes. Kids never know how their teachers really feel or think, but they project thoughts and feelings onto those teachers from a child’s point of view that they remember into adulthood. That’s the primary reason that teachers get so little respect, even from those (administrators, academics, legislators) who should know better.
But I digress.
Since NCLB, teachers have suffered. Teachers are some of the most creative and enthusiastic people around. We have great senses of humor, we love to try new things, and we are inspired by learning. We’ve been that way since we were kids; our enjoyment of learning is what led us to the teaching profession. Not just learning about a subject, or learning a new skill; lots of people get excited about that. The act of learning – anything- holds a special charm for teachers. And we want to pass it on. Because every time our students learn something, we get that thrill all over again.
But NCLB has taken the emphasis off of learning and placed it on performance. Performance as measured on standardized tests. Not performance as measured by classroom achievement, improvement of skills, or authentic learning. This measurement of performance not only stunts the students’ intellectual growth, but it also thwarts the creativity of the teacher.
Since the institution of NCLB, standardized test scores have risen incrementally. The drop-out rate has not been reduced. The performance gap between rich and poor, black and white has not decreased to a statistically significant degree. The percentage of Americans with bachelors degrees has not increased. Special education students have not increased their scores significantly or increased their enrollment in post-secondary education.
Just as many, if not more, children are left behind in 2009. But what else has been left behind? The joy of teaching and learning. And that is a real loss.
