John McCain on Education (continued)

Give me a break!  I am so tired of society holding the school systems 100% accountable for the failure rate.  I believe that the parents should be held just as accountable than anyone else.  It takes a community to raise our children.  The overwhelming problems that exist in the school system today is not totally the teachers' fault.  I am a true advocate for teachers and enough is enough. When are we going to hold parents accountable for something?  You took religion out of the schools and now underpaid teachers are the problem.  Lets stop pointing the finger and start looking at the "man in the mirror."

I dont believe holding the teachers responsible is the solution and as a parent I don't think the parent shoud always be the blame either.  My concern is this: I have a child that makes all A's and when it comes to testing she bombs.  I think it is ridiculus that after all her hard work through out the year she could be held back based on testing alone.  As a parent I have watched her stress to the point of tears and she feels like a failure.  I feel we should be looking at grades as well as testing to determine if a child is held back.  Due to the NCLB act children are being left behind.

NCLB has no funding and is not enforced in many states such as Texas... Why doesn't McCain know this?  

I cant wait for you to be president!!!

I am a First Grade Teacher.  The problem I have encountered with NCLB is not the rigurous standards, but it is a lack of manpower.  I have no aide in my classroom to help me with at risk students who need a lot of one-on-one help.  I have no secretary to help me with all the bureaucracy and reports, filing and preparation.  All of this leaves me with precious little time to adequately prepare and individualize my instruction.  As a result, I am a jack-of-all-trades and a master-of none, in my opinion.  The testing, the reports, and the various things that are being asked of me are quite good and could make a big difference if I had adequate assistance from a good paraprofessional in my classroom at all times.

I have to agree with Valene on this issue, parents need to be accountable for their childrens action. Problem is this "No Fear" issue. In my opinion when the US followed Dr. Spock on his plan of treating children like adults instead of punishing them for things they've done wrong, we opened the door to what we have today. Then a certain group took it further and tied the hands of the court system and prevented Mom or Dad from spanking little Johnny. I'm not saying child abuse is a good thing, far from it. We have people that just go too far. But children need to be lead and if they need their butts spanked to show them right from wrong then so be it. This same group of people who have opposed correcting a child have also created problems in our prisons. If some one kills another person, game over, put 'em down. Why put someone in prison when they take anothers life and burden the taxpayer with feeding, clothing and providing them with rehabilitation. Using the same method they used to end the live of their victim might be a little harsh but come on. Lethal injection is too inhumane for a killer? Ok maybe a firing squad or hanging them would offer less pain. Sorry I'm kinda getting off track here I guess but I'm on a roll. These same people seem to think that we can talk to terrorists and everything will be better. I don't want us to be there for a hundred years(which has been blown way out of proportion) but we need to finish what we've started. We back down now and we will show the world that we don't have the stomach to stand beside another country when we get involved. Maybe Bush started the war to finish what his Dad decided the world wouldn't talerate, once again because of the same people who have tied the hands of so many others. I don't appreciate the so called lies of WMD but then Hussein was a jerk and got what he deserved.
 
Pledge of Allegiance...with GOD involved, Prayer in school...all very great things that are being removed from our society. But I guess my bias is showing. Not sure sometimes why I spent 20 years of my life protecting the rights of this "other" group and then turn around and put myself right in the middle of it again as a civilian. Maybe it's because I still love my country and will protect her til I die. Go John go! Make a change but keep us strong. I still think Romney would be a good VP.  

as a high school student i know what it means to take the eoc or end of course exams. i am senior in high school and part of our graduation is to choose a topic we can work on in our junior and senior year which includes an essay, speech. and a product. this topic is something we can arugue on. as i want to be a teacher when i leave high school i choose NCLB because it just is just missing a lot of things to actually improve our education. What Mcain says sounds good but why should students get moved out of a poorly resulted scores. How will that actually fix the problem for the schools? so you move one student than the that school that moved to it might look like a faliure. Because the AYP goals are to challenging and holding teachers accountable is not fair. i know some students just lack motivation. there is to many problems with NCLB it cant be improved we need to do something for our education but this is not helping and it cant be fixed like the way McCain states it in this article
 
thanks for listening to me and i hope you guys will actually research NCLB because its important to know all of the cold hard facts about NCLB and how its actually leaving students behind instead of making sure no students are getting left behind

this is great but i live in texas and i want these same things 2!!!!

i agree the point that says the parent have the ability to take their children where ever they want i mean no one force to bring their children only one school so my aim is i agree the idia of the dr.mccain

I too believe that teachers (the school system) should be held accountable for results of student education; however, parents should be held equally responsible for the education of their children.  Parent's are their children's first teacher; therefore, it is the parent's responsibility to instill in their children the "love for learning" and "aspiring to excellence".  If education is not a first priority to the parent--it will most certainly not be a priority to the child!
 
The "general public"  has no idea of what teachers must tolerate in their classrooms:  excessive (government required) paperwork which must be completed during the school day--this eliminates "instruction time" from the students (most teachers do not have a helper in their classroom either); Special Education students are now required to be taught within the confines of the "normal" education classroom--while this primarily benefts the "special needs student"; it can be detrimental to the "normal" student particularly when the "special needs student" is an "EBD" student (Emotional Behavior Disorder).  An "EBD" student is afforded the same "protection" (by the government) as a "special needs student" who has "genuine" academic challenges such as IQ, slow learner, dyslexia, processing problems, etc).  Quite often an "EBD" labelled student is a product of very, poor parenting skills.  Frequently, these children exhibit very disruptive behavior (i.e., temper tantrums--screaming & throwing things), argumentative, refusal to do classwork & homework assignments, refusal to work in a student group, will threaten the teacher or other students with bodily harm (often succeeds in doing so), and cursing or other bad language).  This too robs other students of teacher "instructional time".  The teacher must stop instruction, and fill-out a discipline referral before sending the student to the "Principal's Office".
 
"Special Education Students", by law, cannot be suspended from school more than 10 days within the school year--this includes those children who are labelled as "Emotional Behavior Disorder".  For the most part, our schools are not able to discipline students--and believe me--the students are aware of this!  The student has no "fear" of the school's Principal, nor of their parents.
   
Children tend to be "coddled" in this country; many children are not required to suffer the "consequences" of their poor decisions, as parent's tend to "bail them out".  Hence, we are raising a generation of irresponsible individuals.
 
Furthermore, since the "MINORITY" has achieved the removal of God from the public school system, there appears to be no "moral compass" governing the student population.  I would bet that if the "ten commandments" was prominently posted in every school classroom, cafeteria, and Principal's office for all to see--no matter which way you turned--you would see the culture of that school change dramatically (with students, as well as the faculty).  The laws of this country were based on the "ten commandments" (lest we forget); so what would be the problem in achieving this?  I don't see how any religious faith could argue the merits of the "Ten Commandments".
 
Education in this country is viewed as a "right" and not a "priviledge".  While other countries' cultures view it as a "priviledge" and not a "right"--could this possibly have something to do with our current "poor academic standing" in the world?  I truly believe that the majority of our country takes our education system "for granted".
 
Personally, I do not believe education should be viewed as a "right" (even though my property taxes support schools); EDUCATION IS A "PRIVILEDGE" (afforded by our country).  If individuals (parents & students) choose to "abuse this priviledge", it should be taken from them.
 
EDUCATION SHOULD BE THIS COUNTRY'S NUMBER ONE PRIORTIY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY SHOULD BE SHARED EQUALLY BY PARENTS, AS WELL AS OUR TEACHERS!
 
Our culture/society is OVERLY TOLERANT OF BAD BEHAVIOR!  Our schools are suffering from this--our society is suffering from this.  Our teachers are not "at fault" for our society's norms and poor parenting skills.

the cost of college is out of range of most mid income families. how can our youth compete in todays global economy without a good college education.

I hear that parents should be responsible for their childrens learning. Hum, as a nurse, then I should be able to require that all my patients who come in with cancer due to smoking or high blood pressure be more accountable, after all, people know it is bad to smoke and not exercise, right? Accountability lays at all our doors, teachers for becoming teachers( and do not even act like you did not know WHAT you were getting into) parents for not teaching their children to be respectful and mind authority, and so on. I do not feel sorry in the least for teachers now , I see and hear TOO MUCH  of  " Do you know how disrespectful these youth are?" Here is my question, Do you as a teacher think you are going to fix this problem by yelling back at your students or treating them like  Dogs? My son has behavioral problems and I have two other children who are deemed Normal, and I fight every year because he has a teacher who wants to give him all the answers to his tests because it is just EASIER that way. How much do you think he learns like this? Lets just call the kettle a kettle and get down to the business of teaching and caring for kids, I remember in school my teachers cared a lot more than what I see out of teachers now days. After all, they are a generation that has been left to raise themselves and they are children, you on the other hand are adults, WHAT else do you expect from kids?    

Perhaps we need a little reminder metaphor....I'm sure you've all read this before...if not maybe it's time you do.
 
NO DENTIST LEFT BEHIND:
My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don't forget checkups. He uses the latest techniques based on research. He never hurts me, and I've got all my teeth.
When I ran into him the other day, I was eager to see if he'd heard about the new state program. I knew he'd think it was great.
"Did you hear about the new state program to measure effectiveness of dentists with their young patients?" I said. " No," he said. He didn't seem too thrilled. "How will they do that?" "It's quite simple," I said. "They will just count the number of cavities each patient has at age 10, 14, and 18 and average that to determine a dentist's rating. Dentists will be rated as excellent, good, average, below average, and unsatisfactory. That way parents will know which are the best dentists. The plan will also encourage the less effective dentists to get better," I said. "Poor dentists who don't improve could lose their licenses to practice." "That's terrible," he said. "What? That's not a good attitude," I said. "Don't you think we should try to
improve children's dental health in this state?"  "Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way to determine who is practicing
good dentistry." "Why not?" I said. "It makes perfect sense to me."
"Well, it's so obvious," he said. "Don't you see that dentists don't all work with the same clientele, and that much depends on things we can't control? For example, I work in a rural area with a high percentage of patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagues work in upper middle-class neighborhoods. Many of the parents I work with don't bring their children to see me until there is some kind of problem, and I don't get to do much preventive work. Also many of the parents I serve let their kids eat way too
much candy from an early age, unlike more educated parents who understand the relationship between sugar and decay. To top it all off, so many of my clients have well water, which is untreated and has no fluoride in it. Do you have any idea how much difference early use of fluoride can make?"
"It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. "I can't believe that you, my dentist, would be so defensive. After all, you do a great job, and you needn't fear a little accountability."
"I am not being defensive!" he said. "My best patients are as good as anyone's, my work is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count is going to be higher than a lot of other dentists because I chose to work where I am needed most." "Don't' get touchy," I said.
"Touchy?" he said. His face had turned red, and from the way he was clenching and unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damage his teeth. "Try furious! In a system like this, I will end up being rated average, below average, or worse. The few educated patients I have who see these ratings may believe this so-called rating is an actual measure of my ability and proficiency as a dentist. They may leave me, and I'll be left with only the most needy patients. And my cavity average score will get even worse. On top of
that, how will I attract good dental hygienists and other excellent dentists to my practice if it is labeled below average?"
"I think you are overreacting," I said. "'Complaining, excuse-making and stonewalling won't improve dental health'...I am quoting from a leadingmember of the DOC," I noted.
"What's the DOC?" he asked. "It's the Dental Oversight Committee," I said, "a group made up of mostly lay persons to make sure dentistry in this state gets improved." "Spare me," he said, "I can't believe this. Reasonable people won't buy it," he said hopefully.
The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else would you measure good dentistry?"
"Come watch me work," he said. "Observe my processes."
"That's too complicated, expensive and time-consuming," I said. "Cavities are the bottom line, and you can't argue with the bottom line. It's an absolute measure."
"That's what I'm afraid my parents and prospective patients will think. This can't be happening," he said despairingly. "Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The state will help you some." "How?" he asked. "If you receive a poor rating, they'll send a dentist from a practice that
received anexcellent rating to help straighten you out," I said brightly.
"You mean," he said, "they'll send a dentist with a wealthy clientele to show me how to work on severe juvenile dental problems with which I have probably had much more experience? BIG HELP!" "There you go again," I said. "You aren't acting professionally at all." "You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading schools and
teachers on an average score made on a test of children's progress with no regard to influences outside the school, the home, the community served and stuff like that. Why would they do something so unfair to dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to schools."  I just shook my head sadly, but he had brightened. "I'm going to write my representatives and senators," he said. "I'll use the school analogy. Surely they will see the point."
He walked off with that look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed anger that I, a teacher, see in the mirror so often lately.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you don't understand why educators still resent the federal NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, this may help. If you do understand, you'll really enjoy this analogy which was forwarded by: John S. Taylor, Superintendent of Schools for
the Lancaster County, PA, School District.
-----
As a former first grade, now technology K-5 teacher, I have always taught in extremely low socio-economic schools.  I have seen first graders who had never seen foil around a baked potato in the lunchroom trying to eat the potato whole, foil included.  And you want to attack teachers because you feel they think it's easier to tell your child the answers.  As a teacher I know that my job is to help these students become the most successful possible person they can.  I have to teach them the concepts and the skills necessary to survive.  For some of these children that's the most important part, survival.  Basing my pay on their test scores, those children who don't know what a banana is, can't even spell their own name, have families who see them as pals or hinderances rather than a child that needs educating is ridiculous.  Assuming that all teachers are poor teachers based on the few you have seen is also ridiculous.  Until you've spent a day or a week in a teacher's shoes (especially a teacher in my area) you have no way of knowing exactly what sort of ridiculous notions are being had.  I knew EXACTLY what I was getting into when I went into teaching.  I went in to be the mom, dad, and teacher that these children need.  I went in to make a difference in their lives because they may not have anyone else that cares enough.  I went in to make sure they can lead a decent life in the future.  I went in to make a difference.

GET REAL!  Come to my school district and try to blame the teachers or parents.  The teachers are busting their butts to try to teach kids who don't care AT ALL.  The "students" are just happy-go-lucky, don't-give-a-rip children even at 16 years old and up! I know because I try to teach that age group.  They don't know basic arithmetic, and they think they can pass a GED test!

i think its not the parents or students fault.
its really how the teachers are being taught in
college. they dont know how exactly to get the
attention of us students. im a junior in high school
and there are plenty of teachers in my school who
dont know what they are teaching about... maybe
thats why so many students are dropping out and
getting their GEDs. because the teachers dont know
what to do and i blame their learning at the college level,
which could be the federal governments fault.
but thats just my opinion.

There is no way I will vote for McCain, 4 more years of the Bush policies is just too much to even contemplate.
 
And those who want their god in schools, send them to religious schools. There is no way I am going to pay for your kids to get indoctrinated in a faith that not only do I disagree with, but that teaches kids that my kids are bad for having two moms.
 
Teachers need more money, schools need more participating of parents, and adding the 10 commandments is not going to do a darn thing to help kids learn!

NCLB is Un-Constitutional. Then again, so is the Department Of Education. Education is neither an enumerated power, nor a power necessary to uphold the enumerated powers. Therefore, Constitutionally, Education is left to the States, and to The People.
 
Federal involvement means Federal interference with our ability to educate our children as we see fit. Schools provide the opportunity to learn. Education is a privilege, not a right. And, quite frankly, some children should be left behind, but not based solely upon standardized testing. Our President couldn't pass the English portion of the SAT and he believes in fuzzy math. Yet, he takes no issue with expecting more from our children than he does from himself.
 
Our Government relishes in making laws that don't affect the members of our Government. NCLB is one of many.

We do not need more NCLB and standardization of "education" - we need real education that serves to teach people how to think for themselves and to think outside the box. The technological reviolution of the past 20+ years was not driven by cookie-cutter business graduates from Ivy-league schools, but by jean and T-shirt artisans of code who put America first on the map as a software giant. The bubble bursting was not the fault of the techologicians, but of the speculators in technology stocksm just as the oil crisis of today is not the fault of OPEC as much as of Wall Street... We need change from the top on down and McCain and the status quo he seeks to promulgate is not the answer...

NCLB should be revamped to include only realistic goals and only goals that can be properly funded.  Then it shoud be funded as promised, unlike now, and renamed The Every Child Acheives their Best(ECAB).  Right now only certain groups of students are specifically looked at for progress while others are left behind.  Look at the kids equally and put forth an act that progresses them all to their be best.  A child shouldn't be pulled down by the system and that's what's happening now.  You can't always close gaps until you start working in the home of certain kids but you can try push every child to be their best.

If you've ever had a child in HeadStart, you'll know that teachers are required to get parental cooperation within the classroom. My kids had a great teacher who knew how to work with parents who want to help. At the middle-school and especially at the high-school level, parents are shunned like lepers. I've had a teacher who was rude to me like I hadn't a clue about education and that education was none of my business. See how the parental resources are ditched away? Some teachers are terrific, others need to be reeducated about the role of intyerested and supportive parents.

Ok, so it all the responsiblity of the teachers.  Why aren't the parents held respsonsible when their child misses school?  There are kids out there who show up once every 10 days and all that happens is they don't pass (big deal, they don't care!).  Then these kids show up at TAKS time and of course they are behind but is that the schools fault?  Is that the police departments fault?  I think it is the governments fault.  Many (most) of these people are receiving some type of government benefit.  Take the benefit away if their child is not in regular school attendance.  Have some guts to address the issue instead of BLAMING the school.  

I am a highschool reading recovery teacher and I have to make a few comments.  #1.  The students who have posted notes - learn to capitolize the first words of your sentences!  #2.  I don't care if you have two moms, two dads, or one of both; If you teach your child that we are all humans and deserve respect while offering it - more power to you!  #3  If you think that NCLB is not being enforced in Texas, come on down and take a TAKS test or be the teacher who is denied their yearly pay raise because one student didn't pass it.

I believe that both candidates have great ideas in improving our childrens education.  As a mother of three children and a inspiring teacher(can't get into a classroom because I don't hold a special ed degree, which seems to be the solution in the schools this day and age!!!!)  I believe that schools should be held accountable as well as the PARENTS!!!!  So many times have I heard from my fellow teachers that it is not the student--the parent lies for the kid as well.  When are parents going to step up to the plate and be held accountable for their child's education.  Learning stems from the home, and is implemented in the classroom and outside in the world.  If we continue to blame teachers and schools for our  childrens education, I fear for our future as a country.  Kids today do not hold the respect for others, how will they be able to cope in the future

            I am voting for Barack Obama!!!!!!

To Kristin, the high school reading recovery teacher-- Instead of being so negative to the students who leave comments, why don't you learn that "capitolize" is "capitalize". I generally try not to believe it is the teacher fault, but if you as a teacher can't spell or won't take the time to use a spell checker, I wonder if it is the teachers' fault.

Hi Everyone; I Think The Best Choice For Everyone To Make Would Be To Vote Mr. John McCain As Our Future President. I Think He Can Run Our Country Well. If You Vote Or Not This May Still Affect You In Some Way.

I'm ambivalent about McCain's proposals on how to improve America's deplorable educational system. First, I don't fully agree with his emphasis on online learning or virtual schools. As a higher-education instructor, and having first-hand experience with such instruction, this type of instruction has significant drawbacks for all involved parties. Many students are not disciplined enough to learn in this manner despite their capabilities of being able to navigate and use such technology. The absence of face-to-face communcation--interpersonal skills--will only further students' inability to communicate assertively, professionally, and clearly.
 
I don't believe McCain will be able to hold to his promise that more funds will not be allocated toward improving education. Although an exorbitant amount of money is wasted on "improving" American education, the need for a considerable overhaul of this system will require not a simple redistribution of funds, but also a significant increase in areas that need the most improvement (i.e. teacher retention, teacher education, assessment). If this is accomplished, then there is not a need to entertain the issue of public vouchers in the school system (which I disagree with, since this does squander funds that could actually improve schools rather than punish not so much those same schools, but the public in general).  

As a middle school teacher in one of the top public schools in our county, we made our AYP and API goals. Now our school is "THE" school for people to transfer their childrent to because they aren't satisified with the quality of their own neighborhood schools. So here's the catch. LACK OF SPACE for new transfering students IS NOT AN ISSUE. So now our classes are overcrowded, with some classes reaching 38 students, no teachers aide, no extra support, NOTHING, especially with the GOVERNATOR'S budget cuts to education this year. This all fits in with McCain's plan to allow parents to choose the school they want there children to attend. But he doesn't plan to open up more funds for education. Because our school is successful, we weren't rewarded with merit pay (which I do not endorse), extra support of an aide, or anything that could help continue our academic gains. Many of our teachers volunteer their time to run FREE tutoring to keep our students successful on top of our regular work hours. We are punished by our success by having even more students crammed into our already crowded classrooms, because parents can choose to transfer students to our school.
 
By the way, a huge part of our success comes from our saviness of knowing how to play the data game. We focus mainly on our students that are close to moving up a level of proficiency so it improves our overall AYP and API. What happens to the students nowhere near moving up a proficiency level? They're lost, invisible, "LEFT BEHIND". Those reading this with a judgemental view of we teachers, WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR JOB PERFORMANCE WAS BASED ON A STUPID ONCE A YEAR TEST? A test that holds schools with second language learners with little or no English skills, just as accountable as those with English Only students? A test that holds students who come to school with below grade level skills, low socio economic backgrounds, a lack of motivation, little or no support from parents in regards to education, students who consistently come to school without A FREAKIN' PENCIL, just as accountable as more affluent schools? Thanks Bush, for implenting a stringent assessment based plan that you and your administration have consistently underfunded. And if McCain wins, then it's another term of NCLB. I guess it would be time to make just as much money managing a Starbucks, with better benefits.

I teach.  My colleagues work very, very hard to teach every one of our students.  They are effective at their jobs.  We have an impressive rate of pass-advance scores on yearly tests.  Nevertheless, we did not make AYP this year because of the failure of 4 (yes, FOUR) students to hit the pass rate on our standardized tests.  You can bet we will be doing what "A Middle School Teacher" described and make major efforts to get those kids who are close to passing over the line.  It IS a numbers game, and there is some bad statistical logic at the heart of it.  
 
While that is frustrating, what's more frustrating is having watched the Rep. Natl. Convention last night and seeing how big and loud the bandwagon of republicans is who DETEST public education.  As a teacher I felt slapped in the face by the huge, enthusiastic reaction of the delegates to McCain's plans.  We're one of a few nations that tries to provide the same K-12 education to ALL of our nation's children, regardless of the talents they bring to the table.   The party showed disdain for public education and those of us who have dedicated our lives to educating every child that steps through our doors.  I'm writing to show my disdain for the belief that taking money away from our public schools to support charter schools and vouchers is going to be acceptable to those students in neighborhood schools that will be further underfunded and poorly staffed by the withdrawal of financial support.  Or was money going to appear magically to bring this costly plan to fruition?  We're not a stupid nation... so why aren't more people asking where this funding is going to come from?

After 36 years of teaching, it was time to get out, and I fortunately retired this year, and I will never look back. Education became a political football that politicians loved kicking around. However, most politicians know nothing about education. Most of them were not teachers before they became politicians. There are several major reasons why I retired.
 
1. The testing of kids at the state level and the national level is a joke. If you could see some of the insane questions these tests ask, then you could understand why kids do so poorly.
 
2. In addition to terrible assessment, kids are not reading today. There are far too many distractions for them. They spend hours in chat rooms, and hours listening to their ipods.
 
3. American society has changed and the two family structure has decreased considerably. There is a lot of what I call parental abdication. Obama made the comment more than once "We have got to start turning off the TV." When a presidential candidate makes that an issue, then you know this society has problems.
 
3. Schools need massive modernization, and all of it could have been accomplished if we had spent the money on education than the fruitless war we have been engaging in   for the last five years.
 
4. Teachers are overwhelmed with problem kids. Imagine kids coming to school from a home that does not care. They are angry and they bring their anger to school. Look at all the shootings, look at all the gangs, look at all the dropouts, and look at all the apathy.
 
5. Kids don't do their homework today. They have better things to do. The only kids working hard are the honors students and even they are starting to slip and act indifferently to being educated. I realize there are lots of kids working hard, but statistics show dropout rates increasing and indifference to education climbing.
 
6. NCLB is not the answer. You don't mandate things and then not give any monetary support to it. Holding teachers accountable is saying that teachers are not doing their job and that they need to be measured in order to determine if they are. Well, a very large percentage of teachers are doing their jobs and they are doing well despite the enormous challenges that confront them. I have seen young teachers quit teaching after 1, 2 or even 5 years because they could not take it. They burned out in short order. NCLB does not support teaching. Rather, it boxes in teaching to a test, a test that ends up measuring what some test maker in New Jersey thinks is a measure for kids in California.
 
7. Testing second language kids with the same test for native language speakers is a joke. Imagine going to Japan and taking a test two months after you get there in Japanese and then using the statistics of that test to show how much progress you are making in the language. What a joke. Those kids are being punished when they take a test they can not read.
 
There are additional reasons for not continuing to teach, and i plan to outline the state of education in an upcoming book. I believe that vouchers and choice is not the answer but just a political posture that makes some parents feel good.
 
I plan on voting for Obama...he has the sensitivity to know what America needs to improve education.

I have a question about the choice of parents sending their children to any school they want? What about funding, Mc Cain says he is not going to fund schools. So if kids are going to private schools, are the public schools to dry up? How can they improve? Private schools aren't going to take all the students or keep the troubled ones?
 
I learned something this month-- you know how we are compared to other countries in education? We hear so often that American students don't meet the standards of other countries-- well here is how it is. Other countries have tracks where students are placed-- like Asia--- those who are going to college ( the cream of the crop) vs those who will not. Only those college bound students are tested. Hmm... in America, everyone is tested, regular division students and special ed students. Students in say the 6th grade who have the reading ability of a 1st grader take the same test that everyong else in the 6th grade takes. Is this fair? Then the school gets blamed for not meeting AYP. Students with english as a second language are tested in that second language-- is that fair.
   Teachers and schools are tired of being the whipping boy. True progress is assessed by the growth they make in the classroom within ability not by a one day test.
    Does the test take into account the population of students who don't care how they test. Who just fill in the circles to get it down and not try? There are children out there who do this.
    Is it fair to fail a school when a small number of kids just don't get over the hump to be considered met or exceeded?
    McCain wants to keep NCLB-- but doesn't want to fund education. Policitians just can't admit that it was a well intentioned idea that just isn't based on reality.
    How is it fair to test a third grade and except a certain % to meet and exceed when the progress the next year is on an entirely different third grade the next year. How is progress really there?
   I urge all those in education to voice their dissatisatifaction to McCain about his choice. It's high time our teacher's education association takes a stand on this-- our voices to be heard just incase McCain wins.
     

  Continue NCLB and then look at sports. Okay, every athelete should be the top player, if not -- it's the coach's fault.
   Medicine-- no one should die-- Doctors must save everyone.
   Someone above mentioned the dentist accountability-- good one.
    

um im doin a paper on their opinons about education and there should be a littel more than just this

I have read all of the comments above, and I applaud those who understand how difficult it is to reach every child in the classroom in todays world.  Many people are out of touch with reality and should not speak for anyone unless they haved walked a mile in their shoes. As a teacher, I enter my classroom everyday to a variety of special needs students along with "typical" students."  I have students with hearing disabilities, ADD, ADHD, and Autism.  It's my job to make sure all of these children are able to pass the PSSA test that will come around this spring so that my school makes AYP.  I teach at a great school and we love our students, but the excitment has been taken away by NCLB.  The creativity band from the classroom as there is no time for plays, or talent shows, etc..we have to make sure that we are ready for a test that doesn't even give us to the end of the school year to prepare for.  We must force-feed info to these children, and based on their needs, meet with them before school, after-school, during our lunch, etc. to provide them with extra time to be sure they are grasping the concepts.  What do we do with the ODD children who scream out during class, or pretty much tell us where to go, or the child who didn't eat breakfast or didn't get any sleep?  Then there is my personal favorite...the child that shows up an hour or two late because they were too tired to get up and of course it's my responsibility to catch them up.  This is elementary school, so the parents approved this!  Really folks, the whole process starts at home.  I have come across many wonderful parents who have stood behind teachers 100%.  I have also met those who want to blame anyone but themselves.  I am also a mom and my son knows that what his teacher says goes regardless of what he thinks.  We(teachers) work our butts off and the lack of appreciation can be trying. Teachers who work with all of the different special needs without help, burn out quickly. 35 and out..really are they nuts..no wonder we have old teachers that won't leave..they won't let us! It's not the students' faults, but come on people we are only one person with the expectations of many. Many teachers are underpaid, especially the paraprofessionals who dedicate their time with special needs students.  Do you know in some districts they only make a bit over min. wage.  THAT'S INSANE!.  Remember you get what you pay for and that's why we don't have enough of them to help in our rooms, because they can't afford to stay, not to mention districts don't want to hire enough of them..it's a loose loose. A teacher is only one person and mainstreaming is huge so if it's left up to just the teacher, unless she or he is superwoman, or superman, it's just not a fair situation for the teacher or the students.  In many cases it's the regular ed. students that are getting lost in the shuffle.  
To all those students making comments, you need to respect your teachers as I'm sure you had more good than bad, and instead of taking a jab the first chance you get, why don't you go back and thank one for giving their time and trying to help you make the right choices in your life!
One last note..I'm really not happy with either candidate when it comes to education.  NCLB has to go and vouchers are not an answer to anything, but when choosing a president everyone should ask themselves one important question first, and that is who is going to protect us as citizens.(?)  Also, who knows how to protect us.(?)  That is very important considering history and I really don't think Obama has the experience or the know how.  Mac knows how to keep us safe.  

edit for above..lose..lose..sorry...that's what happens when the hand is quicker than the eye:)

Here it says McCain proposes no increase in spending for education in his plans. And he's got a little something going on with that parochial school stuff. I don't really see the point of him keep saying it's important to give the parents a right to choose the school their children can be educated best. It's not like he's gonna improve the failing schools but will make the parents move the students to better schools. I'm reading this for my education issue homework in middle school and my pals have already started to like Obama better. I don't really know if Obama's better or not but I can sure see our future's not gonna be good when McCain wins.

Educating our children is the teacher's responsibility, the parent's responsibility, the student's responsibility, the community's responsibility, and the government's responsibility. In short, it is everyone's responsibility. If we all put forth our best effort and work together then we will see results. It is about our students!

if mccain will change school... can he make it so that it does not take so much time of the day? I am just saying...
:)

You rock McCain!!!
You will win for sure!
I would vote for you it's just that I am to young.
I love you! :)

I am a freshman in a public high school, and I know that everything everyone says is true.
-students do not care and take education for granted
-school has turned into a popularity contest
-teachers are underpaid, so they tend to be lazy and they do not care. (Although some teachers are excellent)
-NCBL was pointless. I remember being in the eighth grade and getting so nervous about the standardized test. I always perform poorly on those tests, but I get straight A's all year.
-McCain is not the right choice for this country. Although he tries to distance himself from President Bush, he still supports most of the plans the President backs. I don't know about you guys, but I for one do not want to face another eight years under another Bush.
-Vote for Senator Obama
-Abortion is wrong, but people should not vote for McCain because he is religious and supports evangelical decisions, they should vote for the most likely candidate that will make the right decisions about the issues that truly matter, such as the failing economy and being billions of dollars in debt to foreign countries, and foreign policies.
-Make peace not war
-As for terrorism, there were no weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein's possession, so Bush was wrong about that too.
-And John McCain is OLD. Imagine if he is elected president and serves for two terms. He will be EIGHTY years old for crying out loud.
-Senator Obama is the future of America. Go out and vote.
 
******These are all my personal opinions***********

Obama is my pick

I think that instead of everybody taking shots at one another on here, they should become educated about the issues.  Everyone has a right to their opinion and their vote.  That's why our country is run as a democracy.  I believe all the bickering that is happening on the national scene distracts from the real issues at hand.
 
Teachers should be praised for the contributions that they make to our society which is why I personally will be voting for Obama, a candidate that has the detailed ideas of change that this country needs.  I believe a country that puts the value of entertainment above the value of education (athletes salary vs. teachers salary) is in a sad state.

I am a college student choosing to enter the education field.  Just the comments alone by many are not encouraging to people like me that are new entering the field.  Rather than complain, what can you do to change the situation?  We as citizens all have a basic right to vote and elect officials that hopefully will carry out their platform.  I ran across this post while preparing to inform my class the education policies of the two presidential candidates so that we can vote with an informed decision.  Some of the posts above are not contained of facts.  Both candidates seem to agree on many of the items including NCLB.  Barack Obama seems focused on urban areas and low income families and mentions it quite often throughout his policy platform.  He wants to pay higher salaries to persons choosing to teach in those areas.  (McCain wants to pay bonuses to those but also bonuses to other high performing teachers in non urban areas).  While I agree that this does need to be addressed, it is most certainly not the only area.  What happens when all of the funds Obama proposes to support education are taken away from the middle class?  Are those children going to be discriminated against and funded differently because they belong to a middle class?  Across the board is fair and equal.   Also, I learned in my research that Barack Obama has allied himself with a terrorist, Bill Ayers, who while in Chicago used $50 million to measure the schools success in preaching radical political agenda determined how much money they got.  That route is most definately not what we need in our education field.  They are teaching the children to defy authority.  Whether you are Republican or Democrat, white or black, rich or poor we do not need radicalism in our schools.  THAT is the wrong choice.  I am voting for McCain because he represents honesty, integrity, honor knowledge, experience and committment.  

From a Teacher:
 
Questions regarding McCain's approach:
When your main focus is to send students of a failing school to somewhere else, then what's that say about the mess you're leaving behind? Do you just bulldoze over that old school? Where do all of those troubled students go? When they're sent somewhere else, isn't it likely that school's overall grade will suffer? It needs to be understood that this will just become a carryover effect.
 
McCain wants to pour massive amounts of $ into virtual and online schools, however doing that will have more Costs than Benefits.
PROBLEM- Students have trouble staying engaged, especially without real forms of interaction. Attempts to watch lectures all at once could become likely. There will be much longer response with questions concerning material covered. How can you assess a student's engaged learning at those particular times of online lectures? They could easily be sidetracked by things around them or other online material.
 
The NCLB Act- Obama wants to reform the act so that it identifies schools in need of support rather than punish them as in McCain's case. If students aren't doing well regardless of background, McCain expects schools to be held accountable and get them quickly acclimated so that they can pass the same test as everybody else. If they can't, then thus begins the transfer? Really...that's a solution?
 
Teacher Pay- Obama and McCain both give the opportunity of quality teachers to get a raise based on their performance and not solely their tenure. He'll award those that are making a difference. He'll also award those that choose to work in rough areas.
 
As far as education issues go, it's a no-brainer that Obama is leading education to a much better place than McCain.

Dear Mccain,
     i like your idea keep up the good work and i hope you will win.Best wishes!

i want you to win

your better then obama all my friends dont like you
but im for you and my whole family is thanks trying to
become are president.