Assignment #2: The Lasting Effects of 2002

     This week's assignment was to do some digging into the state of the world during the year when I turned twelve. The task at hand was to look into what stories were filling newspapers and other popular publications regarding politics, the economy, social and cultural trends, etc. and comment on how those events/factors have impacted and shaped my life. The year of focus for me was 2002.


     My first observation when beginning this assignment was that the events I was encountering most often were of a negative nature. I felt overwhelmed and surprised by the sheer number of accounts surrounding instances of attacks and bombings related to the war in Afghanistan, plane and train accidents, civil unrest resulting in violence, and other such devastating occurrences around the world. This quickly brought back memories of growing up and dreading every time my parents would turn on the news or recount something they had heard on the radio while driving home from work. 


     Thinking further about these circumstances and how they relate to my life today I am reminded of all the excuses I present to myself week after week as to why I don't keep up more with current events. Each time I make an attempt to educate myself on the happenings of the world I find myself fleeing immediately because of how staggering our problems can seem, always present and always growing. This feels like one of the ways in which society has the ability to train us into a particular habit. If I expect to be faced with stressful and intimidating information each time I turn on the news I will eventually stop doing it. Obviously it is important to be informed about what is going on in the world around me and I don't allow myself to be oblivious to reality, but growing up during a time in U.S. history when war is the constant makes that quite a bit more difficult. 


     A more specific event in 2002 that has continued to influence my life was the establishment of the No Child Left Behind Act. Although it was signed into existence in 2001, it didn't start having an impact on education until 2002. Since its creation I have gradually witnessed the downward slope in the effectiveness of our schools from a few different perspectives: from being a student myself, from having siblings eight and five years younger than me in the public school system, from having a father in politics working for the betterment of Minnesota, and from being a caregiver to a young school-aged girl with mental disabilities. 


                                    


      Since NCLB the grand majority of curriculum in public schools is now simply geared toward getting as many students as possible to do well on standardized testing. These tests are crucial for schools because their results determine the funding that the school receives. I felt all through high school that curriculum went way too fast for me to actually internalize the material and that by a year later I had already forgotten most of what I learned. It seemed like a constant pattern of binge and purge, doing whatever it took to pass the tests in each of my classes. 


     My younger siblings are having an even harder time now than I did because the results of this legislation have had ten years to develop. Almost all of the elective classes at their high school (the same one that I attended) are now gone because the curriculum has become so standardized and streamlined. They have a really hard time staying interested because they are now restricted to the "boring" subjects due to such drastic cutbacks. My dad has been in regular communication with faculty at that school and several others and has recounted conversations with numerous teachers who feel the same frustrations and lack of interest as the students. They worry about the preparedness of their students for the real world because the courses that had previously provided a well-rounded learning experience are now gone. 


    The last way in which the No Child Left Behind Act is still impacting my life comes from my experiences as a personal care attendant. The young girl I used to care for was unable to speak, write, read, or fulfill any other functions that would be required to execute standardized testing in a public school. Despite the school district being aware of this information and her constant enrollment in special education classes, she was still forced to take these tests that control the outcome of school funding distribution. Obviously her test was left blank and I can only imagine how many other families can recount this same situation for their disabled children. This is yet another example of the ineffectiveness of the NCLB legislation. 


     There were quite a number of other events I found really interesting to think about but I'm sure you've had enough of my thoughts for one day :) When first reading the assignment prompt for this week I did not expect for it to have such an impact on how I regard past events. After completing this really straightforward task I am left wondering how the happenings of today are going to influence my life ten years or so from now. 


Best, 
Amanda