In third grade I was humiliated in front of the class, being made to stand there with my chewing gum on the end of my nose. All of them had some creative activities they brought to the classroom. When I was a kid I had some wonderful and some not-so-wonderful teachers. Forget theory and abstract concepts that could be translated into a real skill in the real world. Instead, teachers in fear for their raises, teach and drill for a test to be taken once (hopefully) in a person’s life. With the emphasis and reward to teachers and educators placed solely on standardized test performance, there is no longer room for creativity and imagination in the classroom. Add to it the government’s idea of “no child left behind,” which seems to translate in practicality to “every child trained for mediocrity” and you have a recipe for chaos. So many students, individual personalities with individual problems and needs converging in one room and expecting guidance, love, support, and an education can be an energy zapping experience. Still, even under the best of circumstances a good teacher’s job is difficult. I have seen teachers hang on to the career when they clearly are not happy or successful, but for the most part, the system weeds them out-it’s just too damn exhausting to teach if you don’t have some desire to do something great. Anyone who has ever taught (especially in public schools) knows there are many easier ways to make money. Perhaps they are far more interested in the idea of summers off and a steady paycheck. Sure, there are some teachers who probably shouldn’t be teaching. It’s easy to say it’s all the teachers’ fault the truth is it’s much more complicated than that. Every day students are dropping out of school, and many who stay in school are feeling trapped, jailed, and bored.
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