Chapter 8

One thing I noticed: “‘When I first came to this country in middle school, I had science and the teacher give tests for everybody. He said, ‘You can write?’ Then he gave you the answers – this and this and this. I felt bad because I don’t do the test, he did my test.’ – Murilo” Page 150

Why I found it interesting: I found this really discouraging. Just to see this quote from kids, it’s just frustrating. How does this serve kids? I just don’t understand why educators think this is alright. It sort of reminds me of the handicapped kid I work with. He has severe mental retardation, autism and a few other disorders and he passed the D.A.R.E program. I can guarantee he doesn’t know what drugs are. To be honest, he doesn’t know his name half the time. Society has this way of pushing students through the education system and they are being left behind. It’s ironic because this is what we are trying to avoid, right?!