[ale] unusual global warming experiment

[Preston Boyington]

Neal Rhodes wrote:
<snipped>
> If teachers only had to teach students that were willing to learn, ya 
> think we might do a better job of educating?
> 

imagine my surprise when, upon starting public school (kindergarten), my 
wife and I were promptly chastised because our daughter could read, knew 
her alphabet, colors, had an early basis for general math, could 
distinguish money and give simple change, etc.  she was then 
continuously given very poor marks because of 'talking in class' and 
otherwise being 'disruptive'.

we later found that this was because she finished her work and was 
trying to help fellow students.

in an effort to curb mounting frustration it was decided that she and 
another girl would go sit in with the 1st graders for the reading and 
writing parts of their school day.  after their first day in the class, 
the 1st graders came to their teacher and said they wanted to work 
harder on their reading so 'those little kindergarteners wouldn't beat 
them any more'.  the 1st grade teacher was floored at the immediate 
about-face of her students and all of them started to actually care 
about what they were doing.

when questioned as to why this wasn't common practice (letting a child 
take more difficult course), we were told that it was because of 'No 
Child Left Behind'.  soon after we found a better program to enroll her 
into.

so it seems in this case that:
Student Competition = 1
No Child Left Behind = 0