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Seems nobody really likes it at all....just a red-headed stepchild,

And even some kids don’t like it. I saw my 14 year old niece last weekend and she was telling me about school.

She’s a really smart kid; straight A’s from the 1st grade, honor society, two time winner of the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence, and last Memorial Day won not one, but two essay contests on Patriotism, one sponsored by the American Legion and the other by the VFW. She was awarded both prizes at a Memorial Day ceremony and it was kept secret from her until the last minute. Then she was asked to speak and completely unprepared and off the cuff, with much poise and humbleness, she not only thanked the AL and VFW commanders by name, but also thanked an Iraq War veteran who had spoke earlier, and of course her parents. I did say she was smart but did I also say she’s a really great kid?

But she told me how she was really bored in school this year. She said she gets very little homework and what she gets, she typically finishes in class.

She also told me the teachers are spending most of the classroom time “teaching” to the required tests under No Child Left Behind and that even in some of her honors classes, there are one or two kids who can’t keep up and the whole class has to slow down on their account.

She told me that she wrote a letter to President Bush telling him how and why he was wrong about supporting No Child Left Behind; how it wasn’t really helping the kids who need more help and in effect punishing kids like herself who strive for academic excellence and cheating her and others out of a quality education under the very wrong presumption that everyone is equal academically.

I asked her to email me a copy of her letter as I’d really like to read what she wrote. Once I get it, with her permission of course, maybe I’ll share it with all of you.

My daughter (who is now a senior in HS) had similar experiences through middle school. It wasn't until she got into high school and started with her AP classes that she felt that she had truly found kids her equal.

Of course, AP teachers also teach to a test too, but the test includes such broader learning and is to intricate that it doesn't feel the same as to teaching to a 40 question multiple choice test.

I'd love to see her letter!