Wrapping Up

I had an interesting talk with one of my older girlfriends and the topic came to education. Seems she was talking with another friend and the friend thought that students grades should be posted outside the room demonstrating if the teacher had done a good job teaching. I then went on to explain about our seventh grade class this year. I have never met a class that had so many issues - issues that leave thinking about education in the dust. Homelessness, parents incarcerated, life threatening health problems.... too many to count. I asked what she thought posting the grades would mean to those kids. Oh, she said. The point is, too many people are judging and making decisions about education without actually knowing what is going on in a real classroom. Fine, you want to compare us to China - then stop cutting our funding! Make education a priority such as China does. China does not have as many reform programs to deal with - seems every time we turn around there's NCLB, RTI, etc.... then give us the money to implement these programs! Make sure the federal government supplies the funds it is suppose to - like for special ed! China tracks their students - we do not for the most part. I invite any legislature member into a school for a week and truly see what goes on. Do we judge other professionals like this?