Prompt #3

I had attended a private school all my life until I moved and reached the 8th grade. In 8th grade, my mother admitted me in a Charter Public School, new to the system, I was hesitant and nervous about taking the FCAT. I didn't understand the process or why we took it. Teachers frightened me that if you don't get an accurate score, you will get held back or will have to retake it. This system bothered me for months, maybe even years. I didn't like the fact that a pathetic test like this can determine if I am learning based on my grade level. I use to ponder upon the fact that the things we are learning inside the classroom are a waste or not.
We spent weeks preparing for the FCAT. Put our daily schedules, exams, quizzes and lectures to the side and just focused on this test. Like 5 days weren't enough in a week, my school required their students to attend FCAT Saturday as well. That bugged the hell out of me! I didn't like the fact that I had to give up my saturdays to prepare for a test that was so lame. Even when I went to attend FCAT Saturday, the teachers had no idea what they were teaching. Basically, it was a waste of everyone's time. I argued with my mother non-stop, that I didn't want to attend. But she thought it would benefit me in a way. I use to attend every Saturday and not pay attention to the prep our teachers were giving us. And guess what, I passed the FCAT!
I don't like the system of No Child Left Behind, I think it causes a break from what we are learning in the classroom. It is a break from what we need to know. Something that causes frustration in the school system. Many teachers in my highschool didn't agree with it and hated the period of FCAT. I don't like the fact that children are compared to the students from the previous year, it simply doesn't make sense. It is wrong to punish those schools that do poorly on the FCAT. You have to take into consideration the area, the people and the income of those people. I agree with the fact that this system puts fear in the school system, administration, teachers and the children. It should be destroyed.