What are your memories of school?
Painting a portrait in art class.
Using a lathe to sculpt an ornate table leg in shop.
Learning to sew a straight line on a sewing machine or cooking pizza from scratch in Home Economics.
Developing pictures in a chemical bath.
Going to the library and listening to the librarian read Good Night Moon or If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.
Playing box ball and jump rope, kickball, and tag at recess.
And of course we studied math and English, science and social studies. But our education was enriched with many wonderful opportunities beyond the basic classes.
Fast forward to this century. Now let me describe a trend I see in our schools as a result of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top and other destructive legislation.
Test prep.
Bubbling in circles on a standardized test.
Teaching to the test.
This is just not right
Major cuts in funding to our public schools – - - - -cut once, - then cut again.
Teachers losing their jobs due to budget cuts.
Classrooms designed for 25-30 students packed with 42 students.
This is just not right
No art classes due to lack of funding.
Libraries staffed by paraprofessionals because there is no longer money available for licensed librarians.
Standardized tests designed for assessing kids being used for evaluating teachers.
This is just not right
Third graders calling themselves failures because they can’t pass a reading test. Failures? Really? 8 year olds failures?
Schools graded on an A-F system which amounts to saying “You are NOT GOOD ENOUGH.”
This is just not right
I am frightened about an educational system that caters to charter school profiteers. I am frightened about the creation of inequality in our public schools caused by vouchers. I am frightened that our policy makers’ only understand "accountability" through test scores. My fear is that vouchers will leave those most needy children behind. Is this what is really meant by No Child Left Behind? Is the purpose of the inadequate funding of public schools meant to destroy them so that public schools can be privatized?
This is just not right
Is this what we want for our public schools? Do we want an education system where children have to compete for an equal opportunity for high quality learning? As a mother of three children and a former educator, I know that there is so much more to high quality education. I want my children to... I want ALL children to be guaranteed a quality education. I want ALL children to find joy in learning.
Painting a portrait in art class.
Using a lathe to sculpt an ornate table leg in shop.
Learning to sew a straight line on a sewing machine or cooking pizza from scratch in Home Economics.
Developing pictures in a chemical bath.
Going to the library and listening to the librarian read Good Night Moon or If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.
Playing box ball and jump rope, kickball, and tag at recess.
And of course we studied math and English, science and social studies. But our education was enriched with many wonderful opportunities beyond the basic classes.
Fast forward to this century. Now let me describe a trend I see in our schools as a result of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top and other destructive legislation.
Test prep.
Bubbling in circles on a standardized test.
Teaching to the test.
This is just not right
Major cuts in funding to our public schools – - - - -cut once, - then cut again.
Teachers losing their jobs due to budget cuts.
Classrooms designed for 25-30 students packed with 42 students.
This is just not right
No art classes due to lack of funding.
Libraries staffed by paraprofessionals because there is no longer money available for licensed librarians.
Standardized tests designed for assessing kids being used for evaluating teachers.
This is just not right
Third graders calling themselves failures because they can’t pass a reading test. Failures? Really? 8 year olds failures?
Schools graded on an A-F system which amounts to saying “You are NOT GOOD ENOUGH.”
This is just not right
I am frightened about an educational system that caters to charter school profiteers. I am frightened about the creation of inequality in our public schools caused by vouchers. I am frightened that our policy makers’ only understand "accountability" through test scores. My fear is that vouchers will leave those most needy children behind. Is this what is really meant by No Child Left Behind? Is the purpose of the inadequate funding of public schools meant to destroy them so that public schools can be privatized?
This is just not right
Is this what we want for our public schools? Do we want an education system where children have to compete for an equal opportunity for high quality learning? As a mother of three children and a former educator, I know that there is so much more to high quality education. I want my children to... I want ALL children to be guaranteed a quality education. I want ALL children to find joy in learning.