| Dear Mr. Bush, Re: The No Child Left Behind Law… by Kristen Houghton Dear Mr. Bush, I am writing this letter concerning the No Child Left Behind Act, which was proposed by you in the beginning of your term of office. In theory the proposal that no child be left behind educationally is heroic and to be applauded. No child should ever be left behind. NCLB puts forward the plan that all children should be taught the exact same curriculum. On paper this looks excellent. In reality, it is on a par with the search for the Fountain of Youth. It is an ever elusive quest. Since the 1970’s, Federal law has required that all students, despite their learning abilities, be taught in the same class. This fiasco, previously called mainstreaming, now called inclusion, is the forerunner of NCLB. I believe that all children should have the same educational advantages. I was a teacher on the battlefield of education for twenty years. And because I was a teacher who has had experience in teaching inclusion classes, I can let you know that this new law is not going to work. Unless the playing field of life is leveled so that all children are equal in intelligence, domestic atmosphere, safe neighborhoods, and quality school systems with small classes and an adequate number of teachers’ aides, the NCLB is doomed to failure. Here’s why. The ability to learn is as individual as fingerprints: no two are alike. We are as different in our capability to learn, to retain that learning and put it into use, as any species can be. All of us can learn to touch the keys of a piano, but few of us become Mozart. We can be taught to draw a simple flower but not many will go on to be Georgia O’Keefe. In very primitive terms, all dogs can be trained, but not all dogs become Lassie. In a perfect classroom, in a perfect world, there isn’t any doubt that no child will be left behind, but we are not living in Utopia. We live in a real world with decimated families, poverty, lack of parental support, and more children diagnosed with brain damage due to drug and alcohol-addicted parents than ever before. These are the real problems that teachers must face on a daily basis when they are trying to let no child be left behind. It has been privately suggested among some education experts that for NCLB to work, teachers will be required to help children in any way they can, even if it is educationally wrong. At one in-service session I attended the speaker suggested that teachers may have to start “giving test answers to those students who cannot learn on their own.” He mentioned that, “jobs will be on the line if we cannot get these students to pass.” Many teachers feel strongly that this would simply be a new manner of social promotion. Social promotion was never a successful idea. It helped no one and did more harm than good. So, Mr. Bush, you can see that we have a real problem in education. While no one wants to see any child left behind, it is inevitable that some will be if they are forced to learn only one form of curriculum. Your plan is great-hearted, but, let’s face it, impractical. All children cannot learn the same curriculum at the same level because all children are not the same. Different learning levels need different levels of learning. Learning is a joy. Don’t let No Child Left Behind take the joy out of learning by demanding that all students be on the same level regardless of ability. This makes no sense. Finding an area where a child can excel would be a much better plan for education. Using a core curriculum with an emphasis on a concentration that suits the individual is a plan worth exploring. Then no child will be left behind because they will attain a sense of self and an appreciation of their own intellect through the ability to excel in their chosen area. Think about it will you Mr. Bush? This is an idea truly worthy of someone who has made No Child Left Behind the cornerstone of his administration and who wishes to be known as the Education President. Education and America’s children need a better plan. Sincerely, Kristen Houghton copyright © 2006 by Kristen Houghton. All rights reserved. This article and content were written by Kristen Houghton. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Kristen Houghton for details. There is a fee for reprints |
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A hundred years anyone, writers included, stood on a soapbox, on any street corner, in
all kinds of weather to deliver their views of life and the world.
Today the printed word and the computer take the place of the not so steady soap box
and writers can post their views on just about any topic from the comfort of their own
home offices.
This is my take, minus soapbox, of our little corner of the universe.
all kinds of weather to deliver their views of life and the world.
Today the printed word and the computer take the place of the not so steady soap box
and writers can post their views on just about any topic from the comfort of their own
home offices.
This is my take, minus soapbox, of our little corner of the universe.
