No Child Left Behind

I said earlier that I would blog some time about the whole NCLB act. To start on this issue, I'll tell you a little bit about my day yesterday:

I was in a 5th grade classroom. The kids were by far the MOST talkative class I've had. In the first 5 minutes I started giving recess detention. Usually the kids figure out I'm serious and shape up. Not this class. It was UNBELIEVABLE. By first recess I had also taken 6 toys from the students; I've never had kids playing with toys in the classroom (which makes me think toys might be a teacher issue, not a student issue, so I'll give them that).

My first lesson was a writing lesson. The kids were suppose to identify the topic sentence in each paragraph and double underline it. Then they were then suppose to identify all supporting details of the topic sentence and single underline them.

I used an overhead and did the first two paragraphs WITH the class. I also listed the specific instructions on the board. I repeated the instructions verbally at least 3 times and directed the students to the written instructions on the board at least 3 times.

By the end of their work time EIGHT, that's EIGHT, of the 25 students did not even correctly do the work on the first two paragraphs!!!! They couldn't simply copy my work. Unbelievable. I put it back on the projector and instructed them to DO THE WORK. Three students still couldn't simply copy my work.

In my sixth grade classroom earlier this week, I had one student who would sit for and hour and do absolutely NO WORK. He did the same thing on previous occasions when I've been in his classroom. I talk with him and encourage him to do his work. He just won't do it. A classified assistant was in the classroom for one hour each day working with just two students. They still refused to do any work. It took her the whole hour just to get them to copy the three examples I had done with the class (which took the rest of the class 5 minutes).

How are we as educators suppose to make sure NO child is left behind when they refuse to do the work. Clearly there is a lack of parental involvement in many of these cases The kids don't worry about failing because Mom or Dad won't care. One teacher said she has called home on one particular student to tell the parent she was concerned about the student's academic progress. The parent's response was "Isn't that YOUR problem?"

How are we as a country, as educators, suppose to be sure that EVERY child moves forward and that no one is left behind? Have the people who crafted this policy ever been in a classroom?