Ugh.

I can't help myself, folks. I'm sorry. Here comes another political rant. I watched the debate tonight. The whole thing. And I've come to ONE decision:

Obama NEEDS to win.


McCain seems like a sore loser already. McCain would attack Obama... Obama would set the record straight... McCain would continue to say the same attack over and over, regardless of what Obama said. McCain told "Joe the plumber" that he's going to have to pay a fee on his health care when 5 SECONDS EARLIER Obama said there was NO FEE. Sheesh, does the old man need hearing aids?!

Now... this is what hit my sore spot. Teaching. Education. As an educated person... someone who has been to college for 6 years to become a teacher (and who still isn't finished), someone who has taken SEVERAL state mandated and standardized tests, someone who has a teaching credential in three different states...

... TO LET A SOLDIER STRAIGHT OUT OF SERVICE BE ALLOWED TO TEACH WITH NO COLLEGE PREPARATION AND NO STATE MANDATED TESTS... is a crime to our children in the current education system.

"We need to encourage programs such as Teach for America and Troops to Teachers where people, after having served in the military, can go right to teaching and not have to take these examinations which -- or have the certification that some are required in some states." ~McCain 10/15/08

In fact, it should be illegal according to No Child Left Behind, which McCain supports and wants to "reform and re-fund," to make it better than before. No Child Left Behind is the ONLY reason why I had to take as many state mandated tests as I did. It's the reason so many people/teachers have had to go back to college to "re-learn" material to continue to teach and to prove their competence as a teacher/educator. Without NCLB, teacher testing would not be as severe as it is today and more stupid teachers would be permitted to teach our children (even though some have managed to slip thru the cracks...).

Now, either McCain has his facts screwed up... or his Troops to Teachers policy is a bunch of bullshit.