"A few years ago, I read a book about Helen Keller to my class as part of our second-grade social studies and health curriculum. Some of my students were fascinated by her story and wanted to know more. I helped them find books about her in the library. We learned the manual alphabet. It became a great unit of study. At the start of school last year, our principal told us that we did not make AYP for the first time. We were told to cut out all the fluff and only teach to the test. How sad that future students will not be able to pursue topics that interest them, like the class I mentioned.

"NCLB has some good parts, like the Reading First program. But please help us to get rid of the punitive parts that keep schools from providing a well-rounded education. It has taken the joy out of school for the students as well as the teachers."

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