"For the last five years, Maine has struggled with how to accurately gauge the success of schools in the narrow definition put forward by NCLB. MEAs, SATs, and LAS are a few of the countless acronyms that blur across my mind as I think back on the countless hours after school, on teacher workshop days, and on summer vacation days spent trying to figure out what was expected of me by this administration.

"Our state leadership has waffled on what is the best course, finally ending the MEAs and replacing them with the SATs last year. Our local budget crisis (an $800,000 shortfall last year) has been exacerbated by NCLB demands for special education funding, testing days over teaching days, and valuable professional-development time and dollars spent deciphering and revamping unclear and unrealistic assessment expectations.

"Over and over, I hear colleagues vent their frustration at the increasing amount of time spent outside of the classroom, when the best teaching occurs with the students. NCLB has given teachers no clear direction but, more importantly, it has given them no respect. In a profession in which salaries are diminishing, community respect is dwindling, and expectations are rising, it is truly disheartening to realize that the people in charge of education at the federal level have totally lost touch with the needs of education. I urge all legislators to please, please restore respect and credibility to the teaching profession by letting teachers teach. It's what we do best."

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