They simply looked at teaching as a job, and chafed at the requirements for them to continue their education and continually stay on top of their own mastery of their core subjects. I knew one prospective teacher who was considering education as a major simply because of the holiday breaks and "three months off every summer." Unfortunately, there are teachers like this in about every educational system in the country, and they reflect badly on the rest, who are professional, caring, and highly qualified. Teacher and school district accountability is important, even critical in many areas. However, teachers are not simply evaluated on paper, and in this legislation, there is no room for teacher contribution in the classroom. As I mentioned before, many teachers are dynamic and powerful in the classroom, and these teachers touch children's lives, no matter what the dynamics of their "mastery" of a subject is. They make learning fun and accessible, and that is the best kind of teacher for any situation.

There is no evaluation of how the teacher's really teach, only evaluation of standards met and test scores achieved. Ultimately, this may lead to less qualified teachers in the classroom. They may be highly qualified and masters of their subjects, but they may not be able to interact effectively in the classroom, and the truth is obvious. A boring, highly qualified teacher is simply not going to be as effective or as memorable as a dynamic, but perhaps less "masterful" classroom expert.

In conclusion, the No Child Left Behind Act and teacher accountability may seem good on paper, but in real life, they are...

Schools should be accountable for teaching children, and teachers should be accountable for the subjects they teach. Some teachers are woefully lacking in real classroom knowledge and ability, and this puts all teachers in a bad light. However, teacher and school accountability leaves one major element out of the equation, and that is parenting. Many studies have shown that family involvement is critical to the overall educational (and personal) development of children, and yet, these teacher accountability standards place all the responsibility on schools, curriculum, and teachers, and none on the family and parents. Parents have a responsibility to their children as well, and even 30 years ago, parenting was seen as a key area in overall education. Without parental involvement, schools may become little more than day care centers that are expected to churn out educated children like clockwork, with little thought or involvement by the family. Teacher accountability is a good step in many cases, but it is certainly not the only consideration in a full, well-rounded education. Everyone must be involved, from the community to the parents and children. Without full involvement, teacher accountability is just one part of the equation, and the problem will never be fully solved.