Educator's Personal Mission

No Child Left Behind has received many criticisms by professional educators across the country. I have my issues with NCLB, but it's vision is clear: all American students must be able to perform adequately at any level. I agree with this vision, and in fact I would even go as far as to say that I share it to a certain extent. The problem I have with No Child Left Behind is not with using standardized testing as one of many tools to evaluate aspects of student learning; it arises out of the means with which the federal government proposes to ensure that this vision is carried out - HIGH STAKES testing. This is where my mission varies greatly from the government's strategy to achieve their utopian image of a country where everyone is 'smart'. The way that I teach everyday is in accordance with the steps I feel are necessary to take in order to attain that very same vision, only instead of punishing those who fail to meet those standards within a given time period, I practice and refine my ability to convey the material I must present to my students in order for them to gain the level of skills and understanding they need to be independent thinkers. My personal mission, as an educator, is to teach every child holistically with their individuality in mind. There is no concept or content that is off limits, and they range from the academic to the personal. My mission is to assist my students in molding their character and opinions by presenting them with a multitude of information that I keep in alignment with my high expectations. Not all of my students will meet the time frame restraints presented by No Child Left Behind, but my students will improve drastically in more ways than are measurable by a standardized test. Every child can learn, and they do with the right teacher.