School Before NCLB | Homeschool 2.0 http://homeschool2point0.com/2007/10/school-before-nclb/ Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:46:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 School Before NCLB | Homeschool 2.0 http://homeschool2point0.com/2007/10/school-before-nclb/#comment-178 Francisco Mederos Tue, 30 Oct 2007 01:25:20 +0000 http://homeschool2point0.com/2007/10/school-before-nclb/#comment-178 I think that both sides of the debate present good points. What we must do now is find a medium. Teachers should be held accountable but when holding teachers accountable begins to impede the learning of major concepts there is a serious problem. As a middle school teacher I find myself teaching to the test to often. I did not get into the profession to teach students to become good test takers but to become intellectuals and well rounded students. One thing that I have noticed from many supporters of NCLB is that they refer back to their negative experiences as students and use this to discredit the education system before NCLB. My experience in the New York public school system was also one of boredom and rote learning but it did give me the foundation to go on to clooege and become an educator. The old school system gave many of these critics of the old system the foundation to do whatever it is they are doing. Regardless of their negative experiences they still excelled. Maybe I am the exception but good family values taught me to learn in any situation and to get extra help when needed. One thing I notice about my students is that they take no ownership in their own education. These are lessons that need to be taught at home. If I had the spare time to teach these lessons I would be more than glad to but it would be at the expense of time needed to prepare for the state assessment and bi-weekly exams used to hold me accountable. I think that both sides of the debate present good points. What we must do now is find a medium. Teachers should be held accountable but when holding teachers accountable begins to impede the learning of major concepts there is a serious problem. As a middle school teacher I find myself teaching to the test to often. I did not get into the profession to teach students to become good test takers but to become intellectuals and well rounded students.

One thing that I have noticed from many supporters of NCLB is that they refer back to their negative experiences as students and use this to discredit the education system before NCLB. My experience in the New York public school system was also one of boredom and rote learning but it did give me the foundation to go on to clooege and become an educator. The old school system gave many of these critics of the old system the foundation to do whatever it is they are doing. Regardless of their negative experiences they still excelled. Maybe I am the exception but good family values taught me to learn in any situation and to get extra help when needed. One thing I notice about my students is that they take no ownership in their own education. These are lessons that need to be taught at home. If I had the spare time to teach these lessons I would be more than glad to but it would be at the expense of time needed to prepare for the state assessment and bi-weekly exams used to hold me accountable.

]]> School Before NCLB | Homeschool 2.0 http://homeschool2point0.com/2007/10/school-before-nclb/#comment-166 lynn Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:05:33 +0000 http://homeschool2point0.com/2007/10/school-before-nclb/#comment-166 Rebecca, It's not my intention to say the drawbacks don't matter but I do think that accountability must be maintained. You're correct in saying that good teachers cannot fully do their best job because of the requirements of assessment. Is there a better way to ensure good content? A better way to measure? Again, I don't know but I am open to possibilities. Today's teachers are reaping what was sown by the lousy teachers of my youth. They don't have the freedoms they want because those teachers did not maintain the standards of their profession. It's a frustrating position for a teacher who will excel without guidelines. Rebecca,
It’s not my intention to say the drawbacks don’t matter but I do think that accountability must be maintained. You’re correct in saying that good teachers cannot fully do their best job because of the requirements of assessment. Is there a better way to ensure good content? A better way to measure? Again, I don’t know but I am open to possibilities.

Today’s teachers are reaping what was sown by the lousy teachers of my youth. They don’t have the freedoms they want because those teachers did not maintain the standards of their profession. It’s a frustrating position for a teacher who will excel without guidelines.

]]> School Before NCLB | Homeschool 2.0 http://homeschool2point0.com/2007/10/school-before-nclb/#comment-165 Rebecca Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:05:03 +0000 http://homeschool2point0.com/2007/10/school-before-nclb/#comment-165 It sounds as though you're suggesting that the drawbacks to NCLB don't matter because there were bad teachers before the law, too. Maybe I am misunderstanding. The sad thing is that NCLB has led some good teachers to spend too much of their class time giving and practicing tests. If you read the text of the law, it is clear that the folks who wrote it had something good in mind: they wanted to even things out for students, so that schools weren't divided into good schools and bad schools. They wanted things to be more fair. They wanted it to be easier to catch bad teachers being bad, and rescue their students. Unfortunately, those things can't be accomplished by giving lots and lots of standardized tests. What if the money now used for testing and test practice went instead for books, manipulatives, and training? It sounds as though you’re suggesting that the drawbacks to NCLB don’t matter because there were bad teachers before the law, too. Maybe I am misunderstanding.
The sad thing is that NCLB has led some good teachers to spend too much of their class time giving and practicing tests.
If you read the text of the law, it is clear that the folks who wrote it had something good in mind: they wanted to even things out for students, so that schools weren’t divided into good schools and bad schools. They wanted things to be more fair. They wanted it to be easier to catch bad teachers being bad, and rescue their students.
Unfortunately, those things can’t be accomplished by giving lots and lots of standardized tests.
What if the money now used for testing and test practice went instead for books, manipulatives, and training?

]]> School Before NCLB | Homeschool 2.0 http://homeschool2point0.com/2007/10/school-before-nclb/#comment-154 elementaryhistoryteacher Thu, 18 Oct 2007 02:00:56 +0000 http://homeschool2point0.com/2007/10/school-before-nclb/#comment-154 It is very easy to get into the loop regarding NCLB and the bad points concerning it. In my post today I complained about the state test my students have to take, so your post is taking me to task a bit. There are many good things concerning NCLB. The main thing I appreciate is the fact that educators have to more focused on their area of curriculum. What I mean by this is teachers can no longer teach a unit simply because they wrote it in college and its already done or because they like dinosaurs even though they teach a different subject. NCLB mandates also keep history teachers like me from copying those sentences on the board and having the kidlets fill them in. Of course, I'd never do that, but I did have history teachers back in the 70s that did. It is very easy to get into the loop regarding NCLB and the bad points concerning it. In my post today I complained about the state test my students have to take, so your post is taking me to task a bit.

There are many good things concerning NCLB. The main thing I appreciate is the fact that educators have to more focused on their area of curriculum. What I mean by this is teachers can no longer teach a unit simply because they wrote it in college and its already done or because they like dinosaurs even though they teach a different subject.

NCLB mandates also keep history teachers like me from copying those sentences on the board and having the kidlets fill them in. Of course, I’d never do that, but I did have history teachers back in the 70s that did.

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