Musings on US Ed Policies

I am a United States citizen; I've been that since the day I was born.  I didn't choose this country, but I have chosen to remain a citizen due to the ideals upon which it was founded.

I am an educator.  I was not born into this profession; in fact, I did not choose my profession when applying to college.  I learned my love for learning during my undergraduate years, thinking I'd pursue a career in post-secondary academia, but eventually was driven toward K12. 

More than 20 years ago, I realized that I wanted a career in education.  I admired how the most talented teachers could ignite a passion for their trade.  I loved (still do) learning new things that excite me, challenge me, and make me want to learn more.  I wanted to instill this love for learning in our youth.

But that was college, and I was fortunate to have a socioeconomic background that provided me with, first and foremost, supportive parents with high expectations, providing me with a great secondary and post-secondary education.

Today, I still hold these ideals of education and what true learning can mean for every young person.  However, today, I am also saddened that many of the proposed "reforms" in our nation serve only to make our youth hate learning.  From NCLB to RTTT, our nation has dictated the inner-workings of our public schools.  NCLB proposed an evaluation system for schools and districts, otherwise known as AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) based upon mostly standardized testing.  RTTT promised relief from those chains if states can propose an alternative measure.  And the new measure?  It's a convoluted quagmire of student growth, teacher effectiveness, college/career readiness, and student achievement, based upon, to one degree or another, standardized tests. 

These tests do have a place in measuring our nation's effectiveness in education, but it does NOT have to be every kid.  It does NOT have to be every year.  Instead of allowing our most brilliant and creative teachers to ignite the same passion for learning that I had, we are forcing them to "teach to the test".  Moreover, assessing deep thinking is extremely difficult through multiple choice exams.  Any argument that points to extended response questions are missing the point as well; the extended response I want "my kids" to do is NOT in one sitting.

Lastly, the policies proposed, by both sides of the house, are made by people that don't know poverty.  They have no clue what a child, a being that did not choose their place in life, endures at home.  Forget for a moment that we are speaking of children.  For any person, if they are hungry or neglected or abused, will they be productive?  It's easy for us to say that an adult in that situation had choices; does a child?

As a child, I did not have choices, I had influences.  As an adult, I am choosing to believe in our country.  While I'm saddened by trends of late, I have hopes of greater things to come.

Here's to our future...