What's Up Readers,
Reading Diane Ravitch's The Death and Life... gave me a better understanding of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and related events that happened to me in the past: rejection from Teach for America (TFA), and an experience as a Supplemental Educational Services (SES) tutor.
Rejection from TFA was both sad and a relief. I didn't understand why I got rejected for this volunteer work ( with a minor stipend ) in spite of my credentials and experience. Looking back I speculated that one of the reasons I didn't get the position was because I didn't engender the super teacher mentality that they were looking for ( aka blind idealism ). Throughout the day-long interview, the TFA agents asked questions pertaining to the elimination of poverty through the leadership of super teachers, who can achieve this in spite of few resources, unmotivated students, overwhelmed parents, etc. I responded using my parents' life as an example; they learned how to make do with what they had, and they found motivation to learn from all types of teachers, who weren't crutches for them. My parents still had to carry their weight.
I didn't articulate enough how to instill this motivation, nonetheless I was relieved that I didn't get the position. I don't think I can follow blind idealism. Two weeks later, I was interviewed for a SES tutor position, and I got the job. It was part-time, but at least I would be trained in the Wilson Reading System and I got to work with kids ( continuation of my interest in Children's Folklore ). However, the "cons" soon outweighed the "pros." Accountability went to another level ( annoying meticulousness ). Tutoring had to happen outside the school ( unless of special circumstances ); signatures from student, tutor, parent, and tutoring company had to be obtained; a progress report had to be completed every 12 hours; and missed sessions had to be made up outside the agreed-upon schedule. If any of the above was incomplete then no one got paid.
I worked with 2 students ( a total of 6 hours per week ). One student and her family was responsible and timely, while another one wasn't. 40 hours time-frame, snow cancellation, and missed sessions ( without [timely] notification ) added to the nuisance of it all. It seemed that the primary one who suffered from "accountability" was the tutor (me). SES was free for qualified students, and it provided parents a resource. Tutoring companies, who did 20% of the work and received 50% of the total compensation, could still thrive even if they lost a tutor. The tutors, who did 80% of the work, could have their paycheck withheld from them unless they got the family's cooperation, and they completed the paperwork.
The experience was frustrating. At times I felt I was babysitting, but "I" was still accountable for improving the student's grade ( not necessarily the student's educational experience ). There was a moment when the irresponsible parent went all "high and mighty" and started lecturing me about monetary priorities ( revealing her ignorance about the financial matters on my end ). There was an instance when the tutoring company showed that their "trusted" employee was dispensible. There is no collaboration in NCLB and other business model type of educational reform; there are only winners and losers. And at the moment, WE are all losing.
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