Watch me rant. Or listen.. or read it.

I don't care. But I have some bitching to do.

About education. More about what I believe education to be where I live.

NCLB is all wrong. I mean, the idea is good, but it's founded on a bad assumption: that it's the teacher's fault if a student can't perform. That we, as teachers, simply aren't "doing enough."

THAT is bullsh!t.

The teachers that I know are, for the most part, intelligent, motivated, hard-working--- so hard working in fact, that they never feel as if they've done enough to help their kids. They neglect their own families sometimes to set up their students for success and to push those kids as far as they can get them in 9 months. They have a heart for charity; they want to do right by every student.

The somewhat rare exceptions to this are teachers who have the intelligence but seem to lack with-it-ness; they're kind of clueless insofar as what is going around them. Those are the teachers who can teach amid chaos. I can't be in classrooms like that because I feel like there has to be some structure. Then there are the teachers who are apathetic to a lot of new initiatives; they are going to teach their way no matter what the state imposes (because it's always something old with a new name, been there, done that, no point in going back) and they don't give a crap about the new fangled devices (technology) and won't touch them with a ten foot pole. They are not always the greatest teachers, and for the admin and department chairs who have to cover their asses, the apathetic teachers make life so much harder. The last teacher in the exception group is the one who's there because they want the summers off and paycheck. I wonder how they ever got hired.

I wish could say I didn't know any of those teachers, but I do. They are far fewer in number than the passionate and compassionate teachers, however. Believe me.

The flaw in NCLB is to put all the weight on the teachers to make a difference in a child's education.

But what about the kids whose parents look at school as free daycare? Homework? You have homework? Don't bother me with that, do it or don't do it, I don't care.

What about the kids who don't know where they're going to sleep tonight? Are we staying at dad's (who recently told my older sister to shut the fuck up) or at Grandma's while mom is out again?

What about the kids with parents who are ill; bipolar mom, schitzo dad? And most of the time, our refrigerator is empty...

What about the kids who come to school dirty and smelling of urine and feces?

The kids whose parents are nowhere to be found; I live with grandma and my sisters live with my mom. she told me to my face that she didn't want me.

What about the girl who has been treated for ADHD but later they find out that she was actually bipolar? Know how they found out? She freaked out and ran out into traffic. Nevermind that she wasn't learning.

What about the first grader who tried to light his desk on fire and tried to hang himself?

If kids grow up around parents who don't give a damn about their kids, how will they value themselves?

If kids grow up around parents who don't give a damn about education, how will they value it?

If kids don't have their basic emotional, physical, etc needs met, how are they going to worry about 1+1? What difference is it going to make in their world? I doesn't mean a damn thing. How are they going to give a damn about standardized tests?

Short answer: They won't.

Teachers can make a huge difference. But holding parents accountable, getting parents involved, getting parents the help they need... we try, but maybe this is an impossible task. I don't know.

And don't give me any crap about kids I mentioned up there. I know every damn one of them.

NCLB expects teachers to fix these kids. That no matter what, these kids can learn and all of them should be at grade level. In Michigan, they all should be able to complete algebra 2 before they graduate. It's a nice thing to shoot for. But you tell me after taking these kids I mentioned, and tell me: you think they can do that as they stand? Please, cut our budgets more. Know who will get cut? School psychologists, support specialists, media specialists (wait for it; I'll explain), the people who might pull them away from the direct instruction we have to shove down our kids throats every day (because we don't have TIME to fuck around with social-emotional crap, we have standards to teach!), the people who can give the kids a minute to breathe and maybe explore something they could really fall in love with. Remove the healers. Do these kids stand a shot?