What this student learned:

What this student learned:

• I learned that I mean nothing more to my state than a test score, and how well I perform on one of these tests will soon dictate how much my teachers get paid.
   
• I learned that I should try and get the best teachers I can while I can. Good teachers are quitting because they are worn out and tired of being forced to comply with a direction in education that compromises their professional and educational beliefs. 
   
• I learned that this “reform” is not geared towards helping students, but rather the pockets of corporate testing companies.
   
• I learned that I should not become a teacher because it would mean entering a career where I would not be treated as a professional, I would have to teach to a test, I would be overworked, and I would be underpaid.
   
• I learned that I am lucky to be graduating this year because it means that I will be narrowly escaping a new education system that sucks the joy out of learning and focuses on redundant and repetitive testing that unnecessarily stresses students and teachers. 

But most importantly, I learned to stand up for what I believe in and to take action against the injustices and wrong-doings.

(The above words were those of a smart high school senior in New Mexico.)
 

New Mexico is also experiencing the same ed reform turmoil that Tennessee is suffering.  Interestingly, New Mexico's Secretary of Education, Hannah Skandera, brags that "Tennessee LOVES all this reform being forced upon us..."  and we supposedly "LOVE Kevin Huffman and how he is degrading our teachers..."  Skandera couldn't be more wrong (and couldn't be more underhanded in lying about TN to promote her own agenda in NM) 

Some smart parents in New Mexico (who call themselves "Just Moms" in reference to Skandera's derogatory dismissal of their remarks opposing the harmful policies forced on their public schools) didn't believe that claim about Tennessee for a minute.  It took just a few seconds on the internet for them to find Tennessee parents.  We were happy to enlighten the New Mexico parents with links to multiple facebook pages from different groups to Remove Kevin Huffman as TN Commissioner of Education and an online petition to Remove Kevin Huffman that steadily gets signatures from people across our state as awareness grows.  

Parents are smarter than you think.
Students are, too...

Click HERE to watch this smart TN student educate his school board.