Ever heard of Nickleby? That’s teacher slang for NCLB — No Child Left Behind. I’ve been hearing a lot about it lately as Xy was informed that, as of last Tuesday, all 6th grade teachers in the New Orleans system must be “highly qualified,” and that she wasn’t, and so they were busting her down to 5th.
But she found a piece of paper in her portfolio which indicates that she is, indeed, “highly qualified.” So she took it in today and showed it to her principal and now she’s teaching 6th again. The principal told her to save the paper in case the State comes knocking.
And then Xy went by the NOPS payroll office and re-enrolled in the benefits program, which they’re making everybody do for some reason, probably related to the school system’s ongoing fiscal nightmare. Because she came early, she gets a chance in a raffle for a $500 spending spree at WalMart!
Wow, $500 of cheap crap from WalMart… That would probably fill our entire house.
Wouldn’t that $500 better spent on paying teachers or buying supplies for schools?
Why do they need a raffle to get folks to sign up for their benefits?
Do you suppose Wal Mart gets any sort of tax write-off etc. for doing this? Or did teh school system shell out $500 for this prize?