The Classroom Paradigm

A friend and I took a beginner's painting class at a local craft store this past weekend and that simple class got me thinking about teachers in general.  Our teacher was very nice and enthusiastic, however, we discovered that she did not have the gift that most good teachers possess...the ability to help others grasp concepts.  She rushed us through each phase even though there were only three of us in class and she didn't stop and go back when we clearly looked lost.  I think the complicated subject matter they chose for beginners to paint in a mere two hours definitely added to the frustration.  Due to those things, my friend, a teacher herself, and I both agreed afterwards that it was not that enjoyable of an experience. 

I started thinking about children sitting in a classroom, who may also be completely lost and not grasping the subject matters, maybe afraid to ask questions and getting rushed right through anyway.  And all in the attempt to herd the majority through.  Get through it fast, pass the test, move on.  This weekend, my family and I spoke about how the No Child Left Behind Act forces teachers to focus solely on everyone passing standardized tests, whether or not the children completely understand the subjects they memorized.  And teachers are frustrated with this Act because their funding and their jobs depends on these tests alone.  I think that teachers need to be praised for their individual ability to really teach the students and recognized for any unique ways they create to accomplish this.  And on the flip side, the teachers whose students continually fail to grasp concepts could then be given certain state mandated tools to help them reach their goals.  I believe if it's not broken, don't fix it.  And just because there are failures in certain schools or districts, doesn't mean that every public school should have to be penalized by following so many regulations.  I wonder if all these state mandates are really the way to go.  Or do we need to reverse this cycle and give more responsibility to and have more input from the teachers on the front line fighting for our children's futures?