No Child Left Behind has been a thorn in the side of every public school system in our country since it was enacted in 2002. Having to spend two or more weeks per year administering the testing, as well as the weeks prior doing practice tests and review, has left a bad taste in the mouth of most teachers, administrators, students and parents. Year after year, the same upper middle class suburban schools outperform every other school. What will it take to make these politicians wake up and see that education starts at home and that all the training of teachers and testing of students makes little to no difference? It's a subject that really gets me going, as does most government waste of taxpayer money. So imagine how I felt when I saw this little gem tucked neatly away on page A5 of our newspaper last week.
From the Associated Press: Senator Joe Biden says today's leaders should take a lesson from history and follow fellow Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt's response. "When the stock market crashed, FDR got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed," blah, blah, blah....
For those of you who have also forgotten what you learned in American History class, Herbert Hoover was in office when the stock market crashed in October 1929. And TV wasn't in most homes until the 1950's. Considering Biden was born in 1942, you'd think he'd remember when his family first got a television set! Sheesh! And um, wouldn't his parents have talked about the Great Depression quite a bit so that it would be common knowledge to him who was president at the time of the stock crash??
1. Locate Botswana on a map of the world.
2. Define and spell the word "bipartisan."
3. Figure out the federal taxes on a gross income of $100,000 for a family of four. Then determine the state and local taxes for that figure on a Midwestern city (let's go with Chicago). Come up with the take home pay for that individual. Then explain in an essay why that's considered "the wealthy upper class." Be sure to compare and contrast your taxes and earnings as a public servant.
4. Count up how many houses and vehicles you own (include yachts, snowmobiles, etc.). Given a chart on energy consumption for all the items you own, find your carbon footprint.
5. Who's buried in Grant's tomb?
Send me your own test questions. You know, it always takes a committee to get anything done in this country.
I have no questions, but I agree wholeheartedly with you that they should ALL pass some sort of standardized testing.
ReplyDeleteYou really nailed it, C.
ReplyDeleteOur kids (so far) have gone to an urban public high school, and it is as obvious as it could possibly be that parents and families have far more to do with the educational success of children, than anything else. It was striking to me, when 1F was in the Honor Society, that 80-90% of the kids in the Honor Society came from intact two-parent families, irrespective of race or socio-economic status. . .
And Joe Biden. . . (*sigh*)
let's adjust #3 to be the average salary of a school teacher with 15 yrs experience and a masters plus 15 credits, which is far under that $100K mark and then have them figure all the taxes etc...
ReplyDeleteConsidering No Child Left Behind was Bush's main domestic achievement, its possible that the next president will approve significant changes to the program. It's funny that no one, liberal or conservative, really likes it.
ReplyDeleteMama D - yes, wouldn't it be satisfying to give them a taste of their own medicine?
ReplyDeleteDesmond - thanks. I've noticed the same thing; better grades and better behavior.
Lime - well, I was trying to show how earning $100,000/yr. doesn't necessarily mean you are "rich" like the politicians want to preach. But it is frustrating that teachers (who seem to need a masters now) still earn so much less than other occupations of 6+ years of college.
Jokerman - nope, none of us like NCLB. Because we're parents living it out everyday with the extra homework and other nonsense. I'm betting none of the Bush kids nor Chelsea Clinton went to public school. Interestingly enough, Palin's kids do attend public school (or did).
Thanks, Buttafly.
ReplyDeleteFor question #3, I'd go to this site... :-)
ReplyDeleteFTN - well, I guess it's all relative.
ReplyDelete