No Clue, Left Brainless (NCLB) ...

Recess or Ritalin?

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/adhd/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100213117&page=1


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I couldn't help but shake my head at this article regarding playground time. In my nine years of teaching special education, I didn't even have to get to the second page of the article to know what the real message entailed - No Child Left Behind. Anymore, kids are forced to endure a multitude of assessments as a result of the barrage of homework. The bureaucratic bull is sickening. Special education and NCLB are a hellish pair.

Case in point: If a special education teacher has a developmentally challenged student who is unable to hold a pencil nor able to move about without the use of a paraprofessional, the objective to have the child draw a geometric shape is far fetched. The lack of a pincer grasp may be addressed in the alternative assessment portfolio but still, lessons must reveal some sort of task tied to the objective. The realization and accountability for the act is apparent. Regardless, the objective is nothing but a load of poppycock.

We were a lot better off without this federal law. In the special education setting, the severity of the hurdle speaks volumes about what a child actually needs. The greater the severity, the greater the chance the child will need life skills education. As it is, ALL teachers are required to teach towards the NCLB crap and any other annual assessments they may be required to administer. The kids definitely need playtime to cope with the stress they've been dealt.

As they stand upon their high and mighty NCLB soapboxes, some "officials" may play it up, attempting to blow sunshine you-know-where while they tell everyone that it really is about student success to do away with recess, pile on the homework, and administer benchmark exams out of the wazoo. I'll never buy into that notion, ever. It upsets me even more so when a child is dealing with a learning challenge and attempting to keep an even balance of sorts. Not only are they facing personal demons but also the ones hiding behind the public masks of nonsensical policies and social nonacceptance. What boggles my mind is the audacity political officials or persons who have never stepped in a classroom actually have. They are clueless and actually don't seem to care. I'd even venture to say these type of people are the epitome of the phrase, "Ignorance is bliss. " So much for being educated.

Basically, they don't really care about the students. They only care about money and status. For that fact, I don't blame any parent who would rather homeschool their child or place them in an alternative educational system.