Passion
By Karen E. Joslin (about the author)
The “under secretary” of public education spoke to the nation as part of an educational forum. Very few watched to be sure, though it was on cable TV. I found it channel surfing and rode the wave for a little while. The topic: the No Child Left Behind law...big surprise. They spoke of states and school systems following the letter of the law but not the passion of the law. But education is not really about states and school systems. It is about individuals, teachers and children. I am not a state or a system, I am a teacher. I work with children. I so fully agree with the passion; I live the heart and soul of No Child Left Behind. I want to believe it is possible to reach every child. I do believe every child can be a success. But I disagree with the letter of this law. There are several serious flaws.
We grinned as we watched Forest Gump go to school because his mother had sex with the principal. We loved him, found his innocence refreshing. We laughed that he could run like the wind, but had no idea to stop in the end zone. He didn’t understand idioms, didn’t get simple jokes, and didn’t really mind that he was shot in the buttocks - after all, he got as much ice cream as he could eat. He made a fool of himself in front of the president, twice, and didn’t realize it. Forest was happy to be in the Vietnam War, content to play ping pong all day long, pleased to drive a shrimp boat and not catch anything, delighted to cut the grass on his riding lawn mower and not get paid. We were so glad he made it, that luck was on his side. He was lucky to have a mother who loved him so much, lucky to have Lieutenant Dan to look out for him after she died, lucky to have the love of Jenny in the end. Of course he gave so much to them as well- unconditional love.
I work with many Forest Gumps. Many, not all, of my students have IQs between 70 and 80. Forest was not going to be allowed to go to school because his IQ was 75. That is not considered mentally handicapped today. Now he would be expected to work on grade level. Can you truly imagine Forest Gump on grade level? Hummm. Did he deserve an education? Most certainly. He deserved a chance to be the best he could be. Was his best grade level work? Today we are told it should have been.
In the end it just didn’t matter what his IQ was. He was simply the kind of person you want to be like regardless of his intelligence. Who did not cheer when he ran down the field to score a touchdown? Who was not impressed at his lack of prejudice, his courage under fire, or his devotion to his dying mother? Who did not feel pride as he stood up for Jenny or kept his promise to Bubba? Who was not touched as he sat with his son in front of the television? He was a good son ... friend...man.
Would forcing him to do grade level work have made him a better person? Would the stress of possible failure have changed his abilities or made him work any harder? My passion is with these children that I know and love. It is good to be pushed to educate to the fullest, and I enjoy many of the challenges I face each day. I like to try to find solutions to motivational, educational and environmental problems many students face. Educators should, and most do, strive to close achievement gaps found between different ethnic groups. We base our careers on the successes of our students, and not all of their achievements are academic. As I watch some of these special children I can’t help but wonder what we are really doing to them.
Most recently the movie Radio portrayed the life of a mentally challenged man. His was a more sever case. He reminds me of a child I work with- one who just missed the cut off for special services by fractions of a point...no learning disability because there is not enough difference between IQ and achievement test scores. He walks around with his hand in his mouth and struggles to speak above a whisper. I do not often understand what he is saying. The first time I gave him headphones he didn’t know what to do with them. After six months he is still unaware of where the pencils are kept or where the bathroom pass is located. The other day I played peek-a-boo with him and he was enjoying it like a two year old would. He’s eight. Yet testing shows he is working to his potential. Wouldn’t matter anyway. 100% of our students are expected to perform on grade level. Teachers and children who do not achieve this lofty standard are considered failures.
I do not see Forest or Radio as failures. Their lives, as portrayed on screen, were successful. They give something to us that we need- simplicity, honesty and an openness to life that many of us cannot claim. In a world where success is too often weighed on the amount of the pay check, the size of the house or the kind of car driven, Forest and Radio are wonderful reminders of what life is really about...relationships. We are not the sum total of the numbers in our lives...test scores, bank accounts, credit limits. We are the sum total of the people we touch during the time given to us on earth.
