"As an elementary classroom teacher, I am always searching for confirmation of understanding. Sometimes I find it in the way a student phrases an answer, in reading their writing, in the expression on a face, the slight nod of the head, or a sparkle in the eye. I smile and know 'Ah, they've got it.'  These moments are the ones that bring me joy and fulfillment. It is in these times that I know I am in exactly the place that I am meant to be -- a classroom filled with inquisitive children.

"However, with the implementation of No Child Left Behind, gone are the days of students learning at their own pace, in their own time, and in their own way. All students are now expected to learn based on national standards. This idea of robotic students all achieving at the same pace goes against everything we know about how children learn and grow. Due to the unrealistic expectations of NCLB, educators spend an inordinate amount of time assessing and documenting the acquisition of each skill. Much of this time is spent in manufactured scenarios, disconnected from the natural learning going on in the classroom.

"There is a reason that colleges give a Bachelor of Arts degree for teaching -- because it is just that, an art form. Capitalizing on the teachable moment is a skill that is honed through experience, not learned from a manual. It is through being with our students and seeing the art in their learning, that we develop the art in our teaching."
"As an elementary classroom teacher, I am always searching for confirmation of understanding. Sometimes I find it in the way a student phrases an answer, in reading their writing, in the expression on a face, the slight nod of the head, or a sparkle in the eye. I smile and know 'Ah, they've got it.'  These moments are the ones that bring me joy and fulfillment. It is in these times that I know I am in exactly the place that I am meant to be -- a classroom filled with inquisitive children.

"However, with the implementation of No Child Left Behind, gone are the days of students learning at their own pace, in their own time, and in their own way. All students are now expected to learn based on national standards. This idea of robotic students all achieving at the same pace goes against everything we know about how children learn and grow. Due to the unrealistic expectations of NCLB, educators spend an inordinate amount of time assessing and documenting the acquisition of each skill. Much of this time is spent in manufactured scenarios, disconnected from the natural learning going on in the classroom.

"There is a reason that colleges give a Bachelor of Arts degree for teaching -- because it is just that, an art form. Capitalizing on the teachable moment is a skill that is honed through experience, not learned from a manual. It is through being with our students and seeing the art in their learning, that we develop the art in our teaching."

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