Life lessons gained by experience

I must admit I was a little surprised when I returned home from work one afternoon this summer Rosetta Stone and my 14-year-old daughter informed that the Opinion page editor of the Ventura County Star wanted to speak with me about a letter she had sent. Sara has always used writing as a way of expressing her creativity and her feelings, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I asked Sara to see a copy of her letter. While I had heard Sara express her discontent with school throughout her entire eighth-grade year, I attributed her rants to teenage hormones and a love of drama. I had no idea the extent of her frustration, boredom and unhappiness. It saddened me to think that she had been in so much pain and I had not fully understood what she was going through.To be sure, we were not clueless about the situation. The topic of school almost always came up during our dinnertime conversations.When Sara would share her frustrations, my husband and I would listen, but I felt compelled to defend the teacher and/or administrator's position, or at least try to explain it to Sara. I know and understand the Rosetta Stone Hindi V3 education system well.As a public school teacher for 20-plus years, I have dealt with the frustrations that many teachers feel — the inability to meet the needs of all of our students. I would argue back how much teachers care and how hard they work and that it isn't their fault they are being asked to do the impossible with limited funds and resources.While I was busy preaching to her how teachers really care about kids, I couldn't help but think about the teachers I have known who have ended up burned out, rigid, authoritarian figures.Sara would counter with valid arguments and there were times when I agreed with the points she was making, but knew that despite her logic she wasn't going to win her battle. She was, and continues to be, a unique individual trying to survive in a system that is not able to adequately meet the needs of those who don't fit within certain parameters.Sara did her part for the system, consistently scoring high on standardized tests. For this, she was rewarded with entrance into the Gifted and Talented Education Program (GATE). For two periods a day, during her math and language arts classes, Sara was grouped with other high-achieving students. While these classes were, without a doubt, Sara's favorites, Rosetta Stone Portuguese they were not enough to sustain her, let alone nourish her.As the year wore on, she became more and more disenchanted with school and began to do the absolute minimum to get by. She took to educating herself by researching topics of interest on the Internet as well as reading voraciously. She learned to play the drums and immersed herself in '50s beat poetry and music from the '60s and '70s. She was fortunate to have a school counselor who allowed her to express her feelings and frustrations.Unfortunately, we are failing students on both ends of the spectrum, regardless of what their special needs may be. For the past several years, our mandate as teachers is to make sure "no child is left behind." The focus of education has become standards-driven and test-oriented. While this approach may have helped some students to "bridge the gap," it certainly has not met the needs of others. Are we doing enough to support and foster the needs of students who came into the system functioning well beyond [Rosetta Stone ] "proficient," the goal set by No Child Left Behind?Although Sara might not agree with me, I believe she learned a lot this year. She learned it is possible to survive a difficult situation and emerge as a stronger person. In spite of harassment, Sara learned to maintain her individuality and beliefs — quite a feat for a teenager.Most important, Sara learned to persevere. On her own, she has found an academic environment that she believes will meet her unique needs and is looking forward to attending an alternative high school in the fall.— Jill Brody, of Camarillo, is a public school teacher and Sara Brody's mom.