The "No Child Left Behind" Law

Who came up with this law? Sometimes, a child should be held back a grade because of slow learning or having issues with learning. I know a girl who her mother wanted her to be held back, but the school wouldn't because of this law. The sad thing is the girl is now a teenager at seventeen and cannot tell time on a standard clock, nor can she count money or change back.

It is the basic essentials that a child needs to be a part of society that they are not even learning or a having a hard time learning, but the school passes them to the next grade level anyway. It should also be the teacher who recommends passing the child or not based on their grades of failing or passing. That is how it was when I was growing up.

This girl had failing grades, but they pushed her to the next grade anyway. It just seems so unfair especially for the child who wants so badly to learn. Don't get me wrong, the child loves and is ecstatic about graduating to the next grade until they see how much harder the work is becoming because they couldn't learn stuff from the previous grade.

For example, how can you learn to do multiplication and division if you had a hard time learning the basic addition and subtraction which sets you up for the next grade level work?

The child then learns to become frustrated at their school work and then comes to the point of giving up altogether. There are reasons why these children are not passing with good grades, whether it be problems at home, mental illness, or even peer pressure. It should also be the job of the teacher to notice things about a child. Is the child happy, distant, or a loner? These would be tell-all signs that there is a problem and it should be looked into. I still think that they should use testing to determine when the child is ready for the next grade.

This woman's child still acts like a small child but is expected to do high school level work. It is ridiculous. Children are growing up without the skills to hold down a bare minimum job because either they can't count change, can't determine a one-dollar bill from a ten-dollar bill, and some still can't read well.

What kind of law would do that to a child? I thought that this country had the best schools and education? It doesn't seem that way while there are so many who can't read or do basic arithmetic which are basic necessities for the most basic job.

I think other parents should notice issues with another child. I have driven past elementary schools and looked over the playground and I have spotted quite a few children sitting all by themselves and arms tucked in around them for security. It would be one of those moments that someone should seek out the child’s problem and then try to put two and two together to see if the child needs help. There could be a reason why their learning is being distracted and should be investigated.

Let's put our schools in check for passing our children that are failing their grades. Make them hold the children back and repeat, just add a tutor to the child the second time around. Take a look at a lot of the shootings in recent years by young people and teens. When they announce that there have been signs of mental illness in the shooter, wouldn’t that make you think, “hey let’s go check on this young child as to why they are sitting alone”?

The next time you see a child acting not like a child, check on them, show them you care. Let’s get our children back on the right path to education and learning.