Teacher to resign rather than
support state's plan that "exploits the helpless for political gain"
The following letter came to FCAR
vice president Marion Brady in response to his column "Amateurs
amok - call in the pros," published in the Orlando Sentinel on March 27,
2005. The letter writer wishes to remain anonymous.
Dear Marion,
Thank you for being a voice for education. I am yet another teacher who is
leaving the field of education due to the draconian measures being taken in
order to "improve" education. I teach very unique children with multiple and low
prevalence disabilities. It is absolutely heart breaking to watch a girl with an
extremely rare syndrome, of which there are only about 100 known cases in the
world, struggle to take the FCAT. She is deaf and was fitted with hearing aids 2
years ago so has developed the language of a three year old. She has an
incomplete larynx so can literally make no sound (of course, I have been
instructed to use a phonetic approach to teach her to read.) The knowledge that
I possess, a BA in Physical Disabilities and Mental Handicaps and an MA in
Varying Exceptionalities and an additional BA in Communicative Disorders, in
addition to working closely with the family and multiple other professional (the
Speech Language therapist, the Occupational therapist, the Physical therapist
and the Hearing therapist) is apparently inadequate for me to make professional
decisions regarding this child's education. Instead, it is now the reading
coach, the principal (and the federal government's) decision, who have in fact
never had any contact whatsoever with this child and absolutely no experience or
education in teaching children with physical or sensory impairments. The
student's mother has been informed that she no longer has the authority to
decide whether or not her child will take the FCAT and in fact the child will be
retained when she can not pass the FCAT. In effect, the child is being penalized
for that which is beyond her control, her disability. The "No Child Left Behind"
law is in direct conflict with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act) which guarantees a free and appropriate education to children with
disabilities. I truly despair for these children but I simply can no longer
allow myself to be part of a system that exploits
the helpless for political gain. Good luck with your continuing campaign for
educational reform.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
