I wrote a letter to the President!

I wrote a letter to the President of the United States, Yes I did! I know it seems silly I mean like he is really going to respond let alone read it, but it made me feel better to write it! My oldest Lauren has been having problems in school specifically reading, she seems to be losing ground not gaining it.

Those of you that know me know I am a pretty on top of it type of person. For over a year know I have been doing all I can to get Lauren the help she needs, I have talked with teachers, I have sent her to reading programs, and I have simply spent time reading with her. Yet it is not helping, and I know things are only going to get harder next year. My frustrations honestly is that curriculum is taught to a standard but not the standard that you and I grew up with some state or federal imposed standard which has done relatively nothing to help our schools and our students, if anything it has put us further behind! While I have worked closely with Lauren's teachers and they have tried to do what they can the system has let us down.

Sadly Lauren is one of those slip through the crack kids, she isn't far enough behind to get special testing but she isn't at grade level either but will be passed to the 3^rd grade even though she is below current grade level. How on earth is that right?? I am the first to admit I was not a great student I had my share of issues some of which I see my poor daughter reliving and I will do any and everything thing I can to help her not suffer the same humiliation I did as a kid.

So below is my letter, if I should get a response, even if it is generic "thanks for writing" response I will be sure to let you know.


Stephanie Whalen                             March 22, 2010
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President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

I would like to thank you for taking on the No Child Left Behind policy. I am the mother of 3 ranging in age from 6 months to 8 years old. My 8 year old, Lauren, is having trouble in school with her reading and spelling and I am a firm believer a large part of her problem is the requirement of teachers to teach to the testing requirements, or as we in the state of Virginia call them, the Standards of Learning (SOL'S).

These SOL's are low to begin with because they want to ensure that everyone performs at or above grade level, so the schools and the school district can show what they deem as excellence in their schools. On more than one occasion, I have noted teachers teaching my children to the SOL standards only, gone are the days of teaching outside the boundaries and letting the teacher set the timetable for learning in his or her classroom based on the make up their class. If a child, such as Lauren, is having difficulty with a concept and she is not able to grasp it in the time allotted by the lesson plan, she is left behind because the teacher is required to move on in order to cover all of the SOL curriculum items which will be tested that year. In the case of my daughter she has not been given the proper amount of time to grasp letter sounds such as long and short vowels and blends of letters such as st, ch etc. These of course are the building blocks for spelling and reading. Her scores are below average yet they do not fall far enough below to warrant special testing or additional help from the school. Why? Because that would mean a child is being left behind and we wouldn't want that because it might reflect poorly on the school! Therefore, my child could become one of those hundreds of thousands of children who slip through the cracks and each year, falling further and further behind with each passing year.

Luckily, we are in a situation where we had the means to have Lauren tested and we have obtained intense tutoring to help get Lauren back on track. This is a financial expense to our family; one which puts a burden on our household budget. Yet, it was the only way we felt we could get Lauren back on track since the additional instruction we were doing at home was not working. However, I can't help but ask if schools weren't teaching to a set of standards at a high rate, would I even need to go down this path?? What would have happened if we didn't have the ability to obtain extra tutoring? Why isn't the school stepping in to help us out since they are the ones who have allowed Lauren to fall so far behind? Furthermore, would my child have been subjected to the teasing she has had to endure in the last 6 months?

I applaud your efforts to get education back on track and I wish you and your Secretary of Education nothing but success as you implement your "Race to the Top" strategy. I was told growing up an education is something no one can ever take away from you. Sadly, I feel the kids of today are in some respects having it taken away from them due to the style of teaching No Child Left Behind has encouraged.

As a mom of 3 and a fierce advocate of children, if there is anything I can do to help get our schools on track I am here to help!

Thank you for your service to our Country and may God Bless you and your family.


Sincerely,
Stephanie Whalen