During breakfast, our 10 year old twin girls were discussing their weekend plans when my husband jumped in and decided to lecture them (as usual) about how doing things with friends is a privilege, not a right.
They rebut by saying how they are getting good grades so they've earned the privilege to do x,y and z.
I jump in on their fathers team and tell them to step their games up in their respective weak areas.
The oldest twin whines "But I have a B average."
Dad says "It should be an A average, you can do better."
Not missing a beat she says, "Remember "No Child Left Behind?" "It's really hard to make straight A's now."
With a smug little "she shoots she scores" look of triumph, knowing full well we had no come back, she just picks up a biscuit and bites into it, savoring it's buttery goodness.
"That's right baby, blame Bush," I laughed, quite amused by her Obama-esque ability to handcuff us using Bush failed policy.
True story.
This really happened this morning at my kitchen table.
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She's right though. She knows what it is.
If you have children in public school, you should know what's up too. They are constantly being tested, rushed through chapters to get to the test. It's amazing that they internalize anything.
If you are not a child who tests strong, in this environment, it's hard for you.
If you are one who takes more time to learn if it takes a while for concepts to settle in, it's hard for you.
If you are a child that has gaps in his/her education due to tranfering etc, you will fall behind in this environment. It's a pressure cooker for the teachers as well.
"No Child Left Behind" is one of the many failed policies I want to see corrected. This is one of several compelling reasons why we are voting for Barack Obama. I deeply respect that the education of our children is a top priority for an Obama administration. He understands that America's ability to compete in an increasingly global economy depends greatly on the education of her citizens.
It is heartening to know that we have the grand opportunity to elect someone who is not only highly educated and deeply intelligent but one who also values a good education for all of America's children.