Theater Review: No Child

Being a teacher is described as being "underpaid, unappreciated, and underpaid job in this crazy universe.(Sun 6) The tenth grade class in this play is group of disrespectful, hopeless kids that are just pushed around all day and treated as if they are convicts themselves. It seems that in this story every person who is in a position to make a positive change whether it be the parents or the teachers push it off on someone else to do. The first teacher that the audience encounters is a woman named Ms. Tam who is underpaid and unappreciated as well as blatantly disrespected by her students and has no control over them. It gets to the point that Ms. Tam actually ends up leaving because she cannot handle the students. Prior to the No Child Left Behind act new teachers were only required to have bachelor's degree, be fully certified and to have a subject matter knowledge generally through tests. .

             After the act was implemented, the standards for all teachers were required to be highly qualified which is different in every state regardless if they are new or have reached their tenure. The act also makes it so the teacher's salary could be raised or dropped depending on how the students performed on their tests. By doing this teachers are required to take responsibility for their students which requires them to go above the bare minimum. (No Child Left Behind).

             The next teacher that the audience sees interaction with between the students is Ms. Sun. Right off the bat the audience sees that she is someone that not only cares about what she is .

             teaching but about the students that she is teaching. She lays down rules about being in class on time, eating in class and being respectful to everyone. She gets the students to actually care and want to take part of the play that she was hired to be in charge of a play that the students previously scoffed at. By getting the students to take part of the play actually gives them a greater hope for their future that they don't have to end up hopeless, a characteristic that society has already label them as being.

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