Spelling bee nixed because it 'leaves child behind'

World Net Daily.com ^ | January 28, 2005 | World Net Daily

[Diva Betsy Ross]

I am quite certain that it is a political statement made by a liberal-NEA member- to try and make a point.

If the teachers and administrators were doing their job up to this point we would have no need for No Child Left Behind. Sure some parents are to blame for the poor state of education as they have allowed themselves to hand their kids over to the Nannystate. But most of the fault lies with the Department of Ed and the NEA for creating the environment in the first place as well as with poor results by a whole bunch of mediocre "teachers".

That is not a statement made by a person who grasps education (and so we complete our cycle...).

Good teachers must be as angry about that as I am.

[Lizavetta]

Linda Newman, assistant superintendent of schools in Lincoln, R.I., said it's her understanding that President Bush's education initiative says all children must reach high standards, which conflicts with the spelling bee, the Woonsocket Call of Rhode Island reported. "It's about one kid winning, several making it to the top and leaving all others behind,"

As someone more clever than me quipped, this reminds me of the logic of a child. Every parent I'm sure has heard something along the lines of "I won't take a bath because earlier in the day you told me not to get wet".

This sounds like nothing more than a snit. And most parents being what they are the locals will probably do nothing about this silly, silly woman.

[Winston7000]

Self-esteem might suffer?

Where do these people come from? Is there a psychiatric diagnosis for them? Can they be treated successfully?

[PGalt]

The socialization of ignorance.

[FreedomCalls]

So to fulfill the "No Child Left Behind Act" public school educators must first define achievement down and then actively retard the progress of smart children to make sure that no child exceeds the lowest level so that they all achieve the same low goal at the same time. Brilliant. Where's that private school application again?

[Bouchart]

"Building self-esteem is the emphasis. "

Um, what happened to education and teaching stuff?

[26lemoncharlie]

I have no idea where they come from, but we sure as hell have to send them back there for rehab.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

"Yeah, administrators have the final say on how your children are educated"

Not if you homeschool- then they have 0 to do with how your children are educated.

[Sensei Ern]

A spelling bee isn't used to improve children. It is used to PROVE the child's skill.

[Enchante]

Could also say CHARLATANS and MORONS. This is the mushy touchy-feely mentality of all of the liberal education establishment: competition is B-A-D because then not everyone "feels like a winner".... doesn't matter that in EVERY human endeavor some do better than others, no matter how much liberal educationists try to mask this elemental fact.... fits the mentality of the NEA perfectly, though.... maximum pay for minimum perforance, and let no one "feel bad".... this is the California "self-esteem" movement and the liberal ed schools from Hah-vahd and Columbia that have been spouting this nonsense for decades.... event though those universities only attained their stature by excluding many and causing countless thousands of teenagers to fail to "feel like a winner."

[26lemoncharlie]

This sounds like nothing more than a snit. And most parents being what they are the locals will probably do nothing about this silly, silly woman.
_____________________________________

She may just NEED a GOOD MAN!

[lonevoice]

"It's about one kid winning, several making it to the top and leaving all others behind," Newman said of the competition, which culminates with the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. "That's contrary to No Child Left Behind."

Please tell me this is a joke!

[Khurkris]

This is pure TQM bs. (Total Quality Management)

[Recovering_Democrat]

[26lemoncharlie]

The left is the enemy of the people!! They claim that the are the Party of the American Working Family!! What a Joke!!

[I'm ALL Right!]

We wouldn't want a hard working, smart kid to be rewarded!!! It might make someone else feel "left behind." This makes me want to vomit.

[NorCalRepub]

haha.......and cut out all sports......this will get them ready for rejection in the job market.......a nation of non competitive wussy's.......well at least we will be better able to tell the ones raised in a Dem area.......PC is so passe

[NorCalRepub]

sounds like communism to me......and I never say that lame crap......

[Arkinsaw]

What Bush ought to do now, is flat out tell the American people, in person, that this is an example of school administrators and leaders making silly choices that harm children and violate the spirit and intent of the law. He should point out that nobody in their right mind would interpret the No Child Left Behind law to actually mean that ALL children should be left behind.

He should personally make a trip to Rhode Island to ask these administrators and their school board where they came up with this asinine and nit-picky understanding of the law.

The American people would appreciate the President being as feisty in domestic matters as he is in foreign affairs and putting these people in their place. And its not like he cares if he loses popularity amongst Rhode Island school administrators after all.

Come on Mr. President, do some slugging.

[ViLaLuz]

So what if the kids grow up dysfunctional idiots who can't spell?

What really matters is that they tolerate diversity.