The Next Time You Want to Take Flight...

What do airport security and the infamous No Child Left Behind act have in common? More than you might think, actually.

Both are intended to promote the welfare of all Americans, yet fail to do so. In theory, everyone agrees that people should have access to safe flights as well as a quality education. Unfortunately, in both scenarios, there will always be those who seek to circumvent the system at the cost of great harm to others. Terrorists wanting to take over an aircraft ultimately find a way. As they invent new and creative means of hijacking planes, law-abiding citizens everywhere find themselves forced to adhere to an ever-lengthening list of absurd and stringent guidelines, when all they want to do is take their kids to the beach. Nowadays, innocent travelers must stand in lines for hours only to shuffle through a metal detector barefoot while their dangerous 8-oz. bottle of shampoo is confiscated, yet, despite these inconveniences, terrorists still manage to bring weapons and explosives into airport terminals. In the same way, No Child Left Behind continues to create an oppressive, testing-centered educational culture that seems to prohibit teachers from deviating from the district-mandated curriculum. Yet, the very schools that most need the accountability NCLB is intended to provide still discover loopholes, manipulate data, and “leave behind” many of the children who were falling through the cracks initially.

When discussing airport security and educational equity, the proof remains in the pudding. We pontificate on the importance of safety and education in this country, yet who do we entrust with implementing these critical systems? As harsh as it may sound, your average TSA screener is perhaps a mere half-step above the person who serves you your fries at McDonald’s… and many teachers don’t fare much better by comparison. Most Americans wouldn’t dream of entrusting their life savings to an investment banker who lacked a meaningful degree from a competitive university, yet, in some areas, a high school diploma is the only credential required to shape the minds of our nation’s children!

So, take heart, teachers: the next time you look around your school and see the inefficiency, hypocrisy, and bureaucracy that appear to be unique to the Baltimore City Public School System, go ahead and take that much-needed vacation. You won’t have to go much farther than the airport to realize you're not alone afterall.