"As a primary school teacher, I've found that ESEA/NCLB has taken much of the joy of learning out of our classrooms. It used to be that I, as a teacher, would look for exciting and inclusive activities to motivate the students to learn state standards material.

"If we were learning about China, we listened to Chinese music, practiced Chinese dance, and ate Chinese food-while reading books about China and exploring Web sites. Now, I find there is less time for these activities because I am preparing my students to be test-ready.

"From the beginning of the school year, we start teaching students how to 'bubble in' test sheets, how to read a selection, how to find an answer to a set question, and how to sit for long test periods.This all takes time away from more valuable learning, like open discussions as to what the story meant to each child and comparing and contrasting and making connections about the text. It also takes away from cooperative learning in which everyone participates -- in which learning is not a singular experience. With so much emphasis on testing, we've lost the focus on learning -- and the joy of discovery. There is no way one test can tell anyone what my students can do -- and how well they really learn. All it does is create stress for teachers, but more importantly, for the students."

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