No Child Left Behind

[warning: I'm venting. If you want to avoid any excess angst, stop reading now] I'm sure that most of you have heard of the questionable legislation called "No Child Left Behind." It seems to affect teachers as much or more than students, and most teachers I've talked to are pretty against it. Pretty much, the government increases standardized testing for all grades to make sure that all children are measuring up to the levels set for each grade. Schools that comply with the legislation and show improvement receive more funding than those who do not. Now there's even talk of determining teachers' salaries by their students' test scores. I think the government meant well when they passed this legislation, but they obviously don't know much about teaching and how students learn. Something I have recently come to love about NCLB is something called the Praxis test. Each teacher must take a Praxis test for their major and minor, as well as a teaching methods Praxis. I think it's great that teachers are being held accountable for their content areas, but the system is completely flawed. For instance, my history test covers the history of the world in 130 multiple choice questions. I haven't even had time to take a college level course about the Revolutionary War, so the last time I covered that in class was 11th grade. For my psychology minor, I take the same test as the psychology majors even though I took half the classes they did. If I don't pass these tests, I can't teach. Another thing that really burns me up is that each state sets their own pass/fail levels. Currently, the state of Utah has no set pass level for the Technology Education test, so my tech friends just have to take the test to pass, while I have to achieve a certain score. I just took my history praxis this morning (which started an hour late, by the way, and might have been the wrong test) and my teaching methods praxis starts in an hour. At this point, I'm ready to switch to a career where I won't be hemmed in by an unintelligent government on one side and hostile students on the other. All right, I'm better now. Thanks for listening.

The Jazz

So while Lauren was locked out of the house I was at the Jazz game with my dad. I got the tickets from a buddy in my classes. Even though the outcome was not so good for Jazz fans, we still had a great time being there. The game got over around 11:00, I got to Layton around 12:00, and then finally to Logan at 1:00. I then had to be at work at 7:00. Oh well. Go Jazz!

Embarrassment Round Dos

As if that Panda Express moment wasn't enough to go on for a while (my dad hasn't talked to me since), last night I locked myself out of the house.  Let me just say that I never do that.  I can only remember about three or four times in my whole life that I have been locked out.  I was lonely last night, so I decided to go borrow a movie from a neighbor.  As I walked down the stairs, my good shoulder angel said, "You should grab your keys," and then the bad shoulder angel said, "It's only a trip up the street, don't lock the door" (think Emperor's New Groove).  I chose poorly.  And then as I stepped out the door, my reflexes took over and I automatically locked and shut the door.  I stood there for a second thinking "what have  I done."  And then I reflected that at least all the lights were turned off, and I might as well borrow the movie like I planned.  So I trudged up the hill, borrowed the movie, and contemplated huddling in the garage wrapped in garbage bags the rest of the night.  You might be asking at this point, "where was Erik with the spare key?"  Erik was in SLC at a Jazz game.  Until 1:00 in the morning.  I ended up spending the evening at a friend's house nearby talking and watching Ratatouille, which is a cute movie by the way.  She fell asleep around 11:30, and her husband was coming home soon, so I just pretended to be asleep too rather than make things all awkward.  [side note: my phone was also in the house, so I had to text Erik on her phone.  He suggested breaking  and entering via a ladder...]  The two of them went to bed while I "slept" on their couch.  Erik finally got there at 1:00, just as I had finally fallen asleep, and I staggered quietly out the door.  The sad thing is that after going through all that for a dumb movie, I couldn't find it in the dark and had to leave it there.  Bad night.  I may never leave the house again.

Embarrassment

Erik has threatened to post this, but I'm stealing his thunder so it gets told my way. Last Saturday, Erik and I were in Panda Express getting a bite to eat. We ordered, sat down and started to eat. Now, Erik has not been the best role model about bodily functions, as you'll see in a second. Such things have become a little too casual at our house, because before I even thought about where I was or what I was doing, I opened my mouth wide and burped. Not a contained, "oh no it escaped!" burp, but an intentional impressive burp. I looked to Erik to gain approval, and then realized just what I'd done. I was mortified. My dad would (and will) be mortified. All those years of careful training undone in only 8 months. Erik, of course, roared with laughter, and thought it was hilarious. I turned bright red, finished the orange chicken in record time, and bolted for the door. Thank heavens there's no video of this, or I feel certain I would be disowned from most polite circles.

Additions

I talked Lauren into giving me administrative privileges on the blog and some changes immediately occurred. On the right hand column a new feature has appeared. Here you can see some links to news about the Utah Jazz. Feel free to use these links to learn more about "our" favorite team. At the very bottom of the blog is a new feature that shows the Jazz team leaders of various statistics as well as previews for the next game. I love the Internet.

Motivational posters

Alternate again.

I (Erik) received an email from the D.O. school in Kirksville, MO. I have been selected as an alternate for this years class, but have been given an automatic acceptance for the next year. So we now have a few options. We most likely will move to SLC in the fall so Lauren can student teach, and if I don't get into the U of U I will keep working on my Masters of Public Health.
Yesterday I was reminded of a talk that Richard G. Scott gave several years ago. He talked about the difference between peace of conscience and peace of mind. I have been blessed with a peace of conscience during this time and it has been a great blessing. Though the future is unsure, I know that our lives our in much more capable hands. Thank you all for your support!