"I am a teacher in a school under restructuring, placed in this status only because the disabled population did not meet AYP in 2004-05. Last year, we made AYP because the state changed the minimum number of students in a subgroup.

So much focus is put on this determination, which seems to me to be absurd. It is the epitome of the senseless obsession with AYP and on how it is achieved. One year, we feel like failures; the next, we cannot honestly take pride in making AYP because making it was due to a  technical alteration. How can we focus on achievement when the premise by which we are measured is so absurd?

"We are so focused on raising test scores and getting (and  staying) out of restructuring that most of our resources are dedicated to raising test scores. We used to have music and PE. We used to have an allocation for a technology position. Now we have coaches assigned to reading and math -- a total of four coaches.

"All children, especially those who struggle with traditional subjects, need a well-rounded education. This is not just a wish; research supports the need for the brain to be developed and stimulated using multiple pathways -- especially by music and movement. When I visit private schools, with their abundant resources, I wonder why public school students can't have half of what these private-school students have available to them.

"Teachers are pressured, and it takes a lot of effort to not pass that on to students. But we are pressured, to prepare for the tests. We are not respected as professionals; the most important thing seems to be that we follow 'the program.'

"The best teachers are those who are creative and make decisions based on the individual needs of their students. Yet, we are discouraged from being creative, from being thoughtful, and from making analytical decisions about our students' needs.

"What will keep me in the profession is being respected for my contributions as a thinking, empathetic, creative professional."

< Previous >  |  <  Next >