Local Control, Choice, Charter Schools, and Home Schooling

As Spring states, Charter schools are not required to follow significant state or local rules, which allows teachers more freedom in the classroom. Because of this, I have an interest in working at a charter school rather than at a public school. I have always wanted to teach at an urban school, but I believe I could serve a similar population at a charter school. NCLB has not been successful, and while teachers should be held accountable for students’ learning, teachers should also have liberty to make executive decisions in what and how they teach. If we could find a happy medium, students that weren’t chosen in a lottery to attend a charter school would still have the opportunity to receive a quality education. Even if the students’ achievement on standardized tests is not improved at charter schools, the fact that teachers are not restricted as they are in public schools may improve the teachers’ attitude toward being in the classroom, and improve the learning experiences of the students. Also, the academic achievement of students cannot be accurately measured by standardized test scores alone. The issue of students lacking access to quality education due to recent legislation has motivated me to want to learn more about how I could make a positive difference. 

As I attended school at an urban public school, and have taken teacher preparation courses at UT, I have realized that I was a victim of NCLB. I can remember countless days of TCAP pre-test taking. There was always an unreasonable emphasis on the importance of standardized tests. I enjoyed going to school to see my friends, but I now know that had my teachers provided me with more engaging learning experiences, I would have taken more from my primary and secondary education. I look forward to the challenge of making content relevant to the lives of my students and providing them with better learning experiences than I had. I hope that I will be creative enough to prevent NCLB or Race to the Top from hindering my pedagogy.