President Obama throws teachers under the bus (rough draft)

I am very disappointed in President Obama and it’s because he has failed with the one thing on his agenda which was supposed to be a no brainer and that’s education.

He was supposed to rewrite No Child Left Behind but instead he has allowed it to exist for the last three years while it’s draconian policies wrecked havoc on our inner city schools. Only now that it is going to start affecting the white schools in the suburbs has he directed his party to rewrite the monstrosity. It’s sad the bill did so much damage but what’s worse is that damage is not going to be fixed.

The centerpiece of his education policies consist of high stakes standardized tests, charter schools and evaluating teachers. When I helped elect him I didn’t think his policies would mirror what a pretty bright middle schooler without any life experience would come up with. Poverty, a lack of resources and a seemingly nation wide one size fits all curriculum completely fell off his radar.

Then there is his Race to the Top education bill which turns education into a game with winners and losers, make that lots of losers including those who supported him as it calls for states to double down on the three things above if it wants to the fed to, show them the money. RTTT recently awarded Florida twenty million dollars to open charter schools in underserved areas. Um what areas are underserved? What areas don’t have access to schools? The answer to both questions is none; those areas do not exist.

This prompted Florida Education Commissioner Gerald Robinson to say, “There is an incredible demand for high-quality educational options in Florida, particularly in our low-income communities,” i.e. the teachers and schools in those areas suck and aren’t worth saving.

Yeah the problem couldn’t be poverty, a lack of resources and the one size fits all curriculum that the school system has thrown all our children into regardless of aptitude, desire or ability.

Thanks President Obama for throwing me and millions of teachers under the bus. I personally will not forget it.