No Child Left Bahinf

The Salt Lake Tribune ^ | February 5, 2004 | Ronnie Lynn

[leprechaun9]

Opposition to President Bush's No Child Left Behind education law is gaining traction, and Republicans -- even in GOP strongholds such as Utah -- are among those digging in deepest. .....

[Ima Lurker]

Typically uninformed answer.

[Sender]

My wife is a HS teacher in Georgia, in a very conservative pro-Bush area. She says Bush has completely lost the vote of every teacher she knows, due to problems created by no child left behind. Also the school budget has been cut so badly that we spend quite a bit of our own money each year for classroom supplies, and we spend some of our free time doing fundraising activities.

I still plan to vote for Bush, and my wife almost certainly will too. However the no child left behind act needs to be tweaked a bit. The intent is good, the execution leaves something to be desired.

[Sender]

Hey man, we should get together sometime and let our Georgia teacher wives figure this whole thing out.

[HELLRAISER II]

My wife has been teaching for approximately 15 years and use to love her job, but recently in the last few years her job has become an impossible task. The Students dictate what work they will do and what their grades will be by having their parents come up to the school and threaten to sue the school if their child is not passed to the next grade.

I know that sounds like B.S. but it is the absolute truth, kids refuse to do their work or even show up for class and the Adminstrators/Principals pass them even though they didn't do their work. How can you judge the teachers when the students aren't required to do anything? That is until this test is given and then they can't do simple arithmetic & basic Science and English. Then all the sudden it's the teachers fault.

[Puppage]

Typically uninformed answer.

Oh, I had forgotten that YOU were the authority on all things. You don't know me, or how informed I may be, so SHUT YER PIE HOLE.

I aslo don't see YOUR insight,or thought on this matter.Gee, I wonder why that is?

[Ima Lurker]

Amen to that. Putting the special ed, non-english speaking AND "troubled" (rotten to the core) kids in regular class rooms only hurts the kids who want to learn and who can learn. It SOUNDS like the politicians and school administrators are doing something to improve schools when in reality it's all smoke and mirrors.

[HELLRAISER II]

I can see by your previous post that you know exactly where i'm coming from, we had to buy a copy machine because the school only allows for so many copies per class. By my wife being a Science teacher it has also required the purchase of test tubes, experimental supplies and even pencils so that the kids who are to sorry to bring their own to school will be able to do their classwork. It's the craziest thing i've ever seen, they blame the teachers for everything and they don't even understand what's required of teachers today. Anyway that's enough of a rant, where you located?

[HELLRAISER II]

It use to be, we as a nation bet on the Race Horses. You know the Valedictorians & the Honor Roll students. But now the only thing anybody worries about is making sure that Special Ed & less educated children are put into main stream classrooms. Therefore taking away time from the children that can actually excel in their education, just so the other children can feel better about themselves. I mean in Tennessee they've even outlawed the posting of Honor Roll students so they don't hurt the other childrens feelings who weren't smart enough to make it. We've gone from betting on the winning race horse to betting on the mule.

[kacres]

I already have the Dr. faxing a letter to the school.
We live in Georgia in a small town, alot of the teachers here are Bush supporters, I am also.

[Ima Lurker]

The same can be said for life in general. It used to be that successful people were admired and most others strived to be like them. Now they are looked down on and the bums....uh..I mean the homeless are held in high esteem.

[Revolting cat!]

Bahinf

I'm sorry you were left bahinf as a child! Did they pursue and arrest your parents?

[Revolting cat!]

No, here is bahinf:

[Revolting cat!]

[eyespysomething]

You have FR mail

[TheSpottedOwl]

So that's what's going on! I've been having one hell of a time with my 9 yr old, who is expected to produce MLA style essays. She's trying to learn geometry. Last month, it was Algebra concepts. She still hasn't memorized her multiplication tables yet. She just doesn't want to go to school anymore. The teachers are freaking out, and so are the kids. To take the heat off of us, I wrote a letter requesting that she be tested for learning disabilities. Utter crap.

My son on the other hand, has 11 years of documented misbehavior between 2 school districts. He does get sick a lot, but when he's there, he just sits there disrupting the class and conning the female teachers. He needs to drop out and get a damn job. I'm tired of this. When and if he ever gets a clue, he can finance night school for himself.

I don't think the Feds, or the state should be involved with education. Leave it up to the individual school districts...and for God's sake, let's pass some voucher initiatives.

[TheSpottedOwl]

The Students dictate what work they will do and what their grades will be by having their parents come up to the school and threaten to sue the school if their child is not passed to the next grade.

I know that sounds like B.S. but it is the absolute truth, kids refuse to do their work or even show up for class and the Adminstrators/Principals pass them even though they didn't do their work. How can you judge the teachers when the students aren't required to do anything? That is until this test is given and then they can't do simple arithmetic & basic Science and English. Then all the sudden it's the teachers fault.

I've had the opposite problems with my son. I felt that he needed to be held back for another year in kindergarten. Oh no, he'll be taller than the other kids. They held him back in 7th grade...finally. We moved to another school district. He should have been held back, but instead a teacher took up for him and let him graduate, with the promise that he would go to summer school and make up time lost for being ill, and multiple suspensions. He's in his 2nd year of HS, and has no grade point average. We dutifully meet twice a year, and go over the same problems, same IEP goals, and do the same thing that I've been doing with him for years. I finally told them, let's just forget it. He can get a job if he doesn't want to learn. This is wasting everyone's time. When he decides that he needs a diploma, he can go to night school and get one. Ooops, big mistake. I didn't realize how desperately they need his deadweight warming a chair.

I do sympathize with your wife. I would not want to be a teacher in a public school these days.

[North Coast Conservative]

PING to Ohio, Pennsylvania; New York, and New Jersey, as well as the CPAC contingent.(And you know who you are).

My wife is a teacher as well and is madder than hell about No Child Left Behind. And all of her teacher friends, if they weren't Dems to start with, are madder than hell also, and will vote their anger.

It is unworkable, and seeks to punish teachers and school districts with large populations of special ed, minority, and immigrant children, (including many illegals who are illiterate in two languages).

I quote from the article:

Beltway Republicans, meanwhile, say the rebellion in the states is directed at the U.S. Department of Education, not Bush. Department officials interpreted the law too narrowly when they developed guidelines for state implementation, said U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah.

I ask you, one and all, who does the Dept of Education report to?

Does it not report to the Executive Branch?

Am I mistaken that Bush43 is at the top of the Executive Branch?

I would offer that Rep. Cannon (R-Utah) should get his head and a$$ wired together before making such profound statements as: "It ain't our fault".

Or maybe I am wrong, and someone more skilled in government will show me the errors of my ways, and I will apologize for making an a$$ out of myself here in this national conservative forum.

Wouldn't you think that a Republican Executive branch, along with a Republican Legislature, would work together to make sure that legislation that they want to take credit for works out the way that they intended it to, rather than try to backfill after the fact and blame it on the pointy headed "Professional Bureauocrats" when things don't turn out the way they were intended.

What do you think will happen when you give Teddy Kennedy the power to write legislation and then turn that legislation over to co-horts of the largest single contributor and lobbyist of the Democratic party?

Do you think it just might not turn out to be a banner day for the Republican Party?

Pogo was right:

We have met the enemy, and he is us.

I cede the rest of my time to the Bushbots who will blame me for single handedly pulling down the administration of GWB and supporting John F'ing Kerry.

In God We Trust…..Semper Fi!

[kacres]

you now have freep mail

[Gabz]

Unfortunately, many parents don't realize this and/or won't accept the responsibility.

I agree totally.

Believe me, there have been many an evening where I would much prefer to say "Fine, don't do your homework" when my daughter throws a tantrum about doing it. But the way I look at it is because she is only 5 and just starting, it is my responsibility to instill in her the responsibility of doing her assignments.

I will admit to occasionally resorting to having Daddy deal with the homework when there is a tantrum thrown, he has more patience than I....which is why I gave up on the idea of homeschooling.