Lizette Zebi
Congressman Bill Pascrell
Robert A. Roe Federal Building
200 Federal Plaza, Suite 500
Paterson, N.J. 07504
Dear Congressman Bill Pascrell:
It is a pleasure to write this letter to you as my congressman. I recall vividly when you were in Paterson and you helped a young girl from Cuba adjust to her new environment. You were an essential tool to assist her in the transitioning process at Wayne Tech High School. The young girl was my cousin and now residing in Florida. I am still living in Paterson and I am now writing to you with the No Child Left Behind as a major drive in this letter.
I have been in education for ten years. Before that I was a business manager. It is very important to business leaders that there are competent and literate individuals in the workplace. I take great pride in the students whom I teach and prepare for the future. As a fighter for the American dream and the prosperous vital society in which we live and are a part of, I feel as an educator that NCLB is a “slap in the face” to our profession. You mentioned in your website that you thought that the NCLB was a rather “blunt instrument” that the state is using. There is a great deal of pride that educators take in walking the students to reach the bar, but at what price do we have to compromise our professional ability.
I would like to see the reauthorization of the NCLB go another route while keeping students in mind first as should be the case always. With NCLB students are keeping up and trying to complete with other students in areas that they may not be able to. Special Education and ELL feel the bluntness of the discrimination because of the pressures that are involved. The numbers will be skewed and eventually the districts will lie and the long term effects will be one in which districts that do need the financial assistance and extra programs simply will not get it.
I am urging that your recommendations for NCLB reflect the needs of our students and our professional growth as well.
Sincerely,
Lizette Zebi
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3 comments:
You write a very personable, humane letter. it is a different approach than what I have been reading. You cite heart warming events that Bill has been a part of, thank him sort of, and ask a favor to reconsider. It might catch his eye.
Although it seems that the NCLB was unfair to ELL and Special Education students, in reality, it has brought these students out of the dark.Previous to NCLB, a special ed classification meant that it was acceptable not to learn. These students were not educated. Even now, with the pressure placed in the administrations, the special ed department do not address its student's need. When I first started teaching, I had a student that couldn't read, but was great at math and reading comprehension. He just couldn't read or write so I assumed it had something to do with dyslexia. After arguing for a year so he would get classified and receive training from a specialist, the classification was done. Yet, he never learned how to read as no specialist was provided by the district. He was given a general classification so not one really knew what was his learning disability. He attended the resource room with a small group. In this room, he was given first grade work when he could actually function at his own grade level.
The system fail him and many others while not one did or said anything. Can special needs students learn? What is exactly their learning disability? I know people that were special ed and graduated from college so why so many special ed students continue to fail? They are not being provided the service that they need and at least the NCLB is forcing districts to look at this population and find a way to teach them.
Many teacher may disagree, but we should and MUST be held accountable for the education of these students.
I agree there does need to be some changes made. The children should always be first, but the way this Bill shows children first does not always seem that it is actually thinking of the children first. Maybe should send this letter and see the response you get!
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