No Child Left Behind

In schools all across America, there are classrooms filled with students struggling to find their place in the new system of learning. The "No Child Left Behind" program of teaching requires that each classroom be as equally divided as possible with three categories of students; one third should be average students, one third should be gifted students, and one third should be learning disabled students. The idea is that the average student will be a positive influence on the learning disabled, inspiring those students to achieve at a higher level. The gifted student is expected to inspire the average student with a similar outcome. The actual result is chaos. President Bush has no education experience and the First Lady is so out of touch with reality when it comes to classroom time.

Children with superior IQ's are often highly sensitive with a propensity for perfection in all studies. It is sometimes physically painful for these students to be forced to work at a slower pace than their abilities allow. The learning disabled student is easily frustrated and find it difficult to remain on task. As a result, many students from each of these two groups will shed tears at some point in the school day. At first glance, an onlooker might find it difficult to determine who's who. The average student is constantly on edge because of the extreme behavior of their fellow classmates. No matter the intended result, what is actually happening is a slipping backward in achievement. Education is not gaining higher ground. To compound the problems that this new program has wrought, many teachers feel forced to teach the tests that measure progress. In fact, some teachers were caught changing answers on achievement tests to improve the overall scores of the schools where they taught.

Each school is expected to advance by a specified degree by the end of each school year or face losing federal monies necessary to retain good teachers and maintain the needed monies per student. At some point, no matter who you are, you reach a point at which you can go no higher. A student with limited ability to learn will never reach a point where he is able to pilot an airplane or operate in an emergency room. The average student can be pushed to become an over-achiever, but she will never discover the next great breakthrough in medical science. The gifted, under this new program, will never achieve what they might have because of the dead weight they are forced to carry throughout their grade school education. Our brightest students will fore go a higher education due to burn-out experienced before they ever graduate from high school.

For generations, our educational system has experienced changes promised to produce the best educated students of all nations. We are all still waiting. In the meantime, generations of students have suffered for our tinkering. If we look back in time, we will see that the brightest minds emerged from basic education, strict discipline, and a high standard of morals. There is no one size fits all in education. Each student has his or her own learning style. It is important for teachers to incorporate all forms of teaching to accommodate all learning styles. However, it is essential that the three categories of students remain separated for the best possible learning experience and opportunities. We have gone too far in our attempt to be politically correct. It isn't the end of the world if someone gets his feelings hurt or someone is offended in some way. Life is filled with disappointment and heartache. Why not learn this early and be better prepared for life in general. When the young man with disabilities gets his first job, will his boss change his diapers? What about the girl who can't feed herself? Will another employee feed her lunch?

It is time for a reality check. It is time for some parents to grow up and stop demanding that their children who lack the ability to write their own names be taught Algebra I and II. It is time for President Bush to realize that some children just do not have what it takes to make higher than a C in some subjects. It is time for everybody to realize that this is okay. The genius has always managed to break through and find his own way. He does this best if he isn't dragging forty people behind him.

Do you know what goes on in your child's classroom? You have the right to observe all day any day you make an appointment to do so. I suggest you do so. God bless the teachers and pray they don't all throw in the towel.