Letter to the Editor

Repeal NCLB, add school funding

To the editor:

I did not see in the group of gifted students I knew in high school a higher incidence of misunderstood troublemakers and dropouts than in the population as a whole. If we speak of primary schooling, then perhaps gifted children have difficulty fitting in, but certainly at the tertiary level the abilities of gifted student allow them to more easily find their place among their peers and realize the weight of their responsibilities. As to the idea that gifted students are driven to failure by boredom, in the highly stratified classes I seldom met gifted students bored by simplicity in any of the most academically intense courses found at your average public high school.

As to the ideas that "Our system of education makes sure everyone desiring a diploma will get it. There are provisions for those who are mentally handicapped, slow learners or learning disabled": I completely disagree with these statements. The No Child Left Behind Act is a time-draining sword of Damocles by which our president seeks to motivate our educators by fear instead of encouragement (an idea few teachers would practice). This new mindset does not place the necessary emphasis on educating student most at risk of not obtaining the skills and knowledge they will need in life. The change our education system requires is a repeal of this legislation and increased funding for our nation's public schools, the only schools which feel a responsibility to attend the needs of all students.

COLIN McLAIN, Cape Girardeau