"I have a cross-categorical special education class. My students are behavior disordered, emotionally disturbed, speech and language impaired, mentally handicapped, learning disabled. Because of constraints with NCLB, there is no time to write Individual Educational Plans, so I spend five to 10 hours per week (after contact hours) writing IEP's and planning for the different needs of my students.

"This does not count the time I spend grading papers or lesson plans. There is also a great deal of time spent on test preparation and on actually testing students instead of instructing. I am also spending a great deal of time trying to help general education teachers meet the needs of students who have not been tested because the regulations have made it so hard to get a child tested.

"Much of the enjoyment of teaching is gone. I believe we will lose many new teachers due to increased paperwork and no time to complete everything. Our teachers are staying at school until 6 or 7 p.m. to complete plans."

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