Kozol pleads with us on pg. 299 to ...."not permit the beautiful profession (we) have chosen to be redefined by those who know far less than (we) about the hearts of children." Whatever you believe about the role of a principal, it is clear that a school will adopt the approach of its leader when it comes to how the curriculum is presented. If we only focus on accountability, as the politicians do, then we only add to the injustice that outsiders have already inflicted upon us.

Neil, you said it so well. I think that might be my downfall as a leader. Putting too much weight on the inner child instead of the test scores.

Amy, I am not sure you can put too much emphasis on the inner child. Think about it. When you do, you can do no harm to the child, which means your classroom or school(if you are an administrator) will do what we claim our mission is-We will do what is in the best interest of the child.

Neil, you are so right! We all should always remember to put the child FIRST. Can not forget the test scores, but we can try to prepare each child to do their very best.

When I was reading these responses, all that I could think of was the Hippocratic Oath. I know that we are not Physicians, but we should look closely at this oath and realize that with a few modifications it could and should apply to us as educators. Does anyone know if we have an Educators' oath??

Yes, it is important to meet the needs of the child emotionally, socially, and academically. These days it seems we are spending alot more time on the social aspect than ever. I agree with putting the inner child first but we all know the reality of the situation. Schools are evaluated on their test scores. We have to find that balance so that we meet all the needs of our students.

Amy, your words sound like someone who could have molded Yale! "...that character as well as brains still counted for something and that Yale would still train peoople to be "movers and doers," as well as scholars (Test, 151).

Among US! A Yale voice with a child's heart...there is peace. Thank you Amy!

PS I would suppose we are all being molded by what we read...