Tina Bell
English 5001
23 April 2009

Commentary Week 10

“Rhetoric sees itself not as creating a balance between theory and practice, but rather as ‘inhabiting a kind of productive unease’” (1). Given Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s view of rhetoric, it is necessary that educational institutions will constantly be reviewing the ideas of theory and practice.

Many members of our educational institutions and our society as a whole condemn The No Child Left Behind Act. Last year, I felt the need to research this act since I found myself basing my opinions on hearsay rather than fact. And although I found many areas in the act I would like to revise, I found that the act itself is based on an idea similar to one Spivak mentions. She says that “our student bodies change” (4). Spivak is making a point about colleges, but we see this in our elementary and secondary institutions as well. Regardless as to whether one believes our country has become more multicultural or if the cultures have taken on more importance in our society, the federal government’s answer was to create NCLB. One of the positive effects of this act has been to illuminate these cultures so their needs can be more thoroughly addressed. Even though I am not in agreement with the system of measurement, I do believe that it helps us understand that we may need to continually look at theory and practice to address our changing student body. This change produces unease, but it is a “productive unease”.

In my position, I often have teachers tell me that they are willing to work on something if I can guarantee that it will not change. I am unable to do so. Education has always changed and will continue to do so as the needs of our student’s change. As we have discussed in class, anything which does not change, dies. I understand that this is a difficult process for us, but believe Spivak’s idea that this discomfort is productive. When I look at my own school district, I can point to areas of dramatic and fabulous change. I see educators in all areas working together to create a vital educational system for our changing student body. I think we have just begun this process, but I see that the acceptance that various cultures have differing needs is gaining acceptance.