Chapter 1 Blog 1

Hannah Bontrager

Prof. Schurman

15 January 2012

Blog 1

            When reading chapter 1 I couldn’t help but become a little frustrated with how our government feels education should be handled. At first No Child Left Behind (NCLB) sounded like a great idea to me, raising the academic standard and helping students to succeed seemed, to me, like how school should run. After reading this chapter, however, I began to like NCLB less and less. Hearing about Derek and his home life and how, even though he had made amazing improvement on the TAKS test, he was forced into a remedial literacy course because he didn’t meet the “standard score” infuriated me. I feel as teachers that we should, yes, hold our students to a high standard, because I believe that students will rise to the occasion if they are pushed and if they feel like their teacher believes in them. That being said, I think that teachers also need to take into account the student’s home life and circumstances, be willing to give extra help or arrange to stay after school with a student who otherwise couldn’t work on their homework adequately at home. This chapter really touched my heart because someday I hope to teach in a lower income or urban-like area. I want to be able to go where good teachers are needed the most. I want to be able to give hope to the students like Derek and tell them that somebody loves and believes in them.

Jeremiah 29:11
”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”