Well, I took the NCLB exam for art teachers today. It is supposed to qualify me as a highly qualified teacher, if I pass it. I think I passed the sample test that was on the internet, so I have great hopes that I passed this one. It was five hours of sitting silently, answer multiple choice questions as fast I could, and then writing a few essays about art works that had examples to look at. The sample test was good prepation for the real thing.

As I was working on the sample test, I reflected that it was good exercise to be forced to collect my thoughts about my own art work and write them down coherently. An artist’s statement is requested more and more these days.

Yes, it is true that I had a few resentments about having to take it, because I did meet all the subject matter requirements for the credential, and then some. And I have a clear credential already. But I went ahead and took the test. Now I can only hope that it will help me get a job teaching art, or even just be a substitute teacher a little longer.

Keep up the good work on your blog. I am sure it is helpful to many people in Oakland, and the rest of the East Bay as well. People deserve to know about what they are paying their education dollar in taxes to get. You are the one who gives them that report.

Jean Womack

http://www.achievementalliance.org/resources/

Can you blame people after 17 years of funding, legislation, programs, etc, that adult illiteracy has actually dropped California’s 31st ranking to 51st in the nation?

Not all things about NCLB are bad…many people are also sick of working in some of these dyfunctional and unhealthy schools….