By James Sebastien
As I watched President Obama’s press conference on July 24, announcing his plans to reform education. I found myself wondering. Wondering, what would I have said to he and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, as they planned The Race to The Top, 4.35 Billion dollar bounty.
First, the absurdity of student performance based pay for Educators, which should be prohibited throughout the country. If the goal is insuring the highest quality, then why are teachers not making six figure salaries?
Moreover a teacher has no control over what a student does, once he/she leaves the classroom. They cannot make the child study, that is the responsibility of the guardian/parent. Teachers should not be penalized for apathetic and irresponsible parents. Nor, should the students be penalized for their predicament.
This is not a game and should not be treated as such. These are lives we are talking about, these are young impressionable people. What kind of signal do we want to send them, that they're losers if they don't win the 4 billion dollar prize. That is the definition of callousness!
I beg to all, please step back and think for a moment. Think about the children who will continue to fall through the cracks. This is not a time, to sit back and watch States go at it like a pack of wolves.
This is a time to turn all of our schools into Golden Carriages. No longer should it be acceptable for any of our Country's Students and Teachers to spend their time in mold infested classrooms with splintered wood floors and cockroaches running amuck. No more hand me down books, held together by duct tape, with pages so worn they nearly disintegrate upon turning. Enough is enough! Please, lets do what is right.
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