Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.
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In response to Betty Buehler’s Jan. 28 letter about education, headlined “Don’t further dump on teachers in bad times:”
I retired from teaching before the implementation of the No Child Left Behind law, but from comments by current teachers, it appears to me that they have become drill sergeants training robots to pass tests.
Children and teachers are being robbed of the joy found in an exciting, challenging classroom where both student and teacher explore the rewarding experience of learning.
Training children to test well is not engaging the creative mind nor allowing a meaningful thought process to occur, nor is it helping them make connections between school and real life.
These processes, necessary for an educated citizenry, take time. This valuable time cannot be found in a classroom where federal money and the teacher’s evaluation, based on arbitrary test scores, are the primary focus.
Ms. Buehler is right on!
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