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And Now, a Word of Praise for NCLB

By Dayle Timmons

As part of a new partnership, teachermagazine.org is publishing this regular column by members of the Teacher Leaders Network , a professional community of accomplished educators dedicated to sharing ideas and expanding the influence of teachers.

It was eight years ago—one of those years when I was trying to be super mom, super wife, super teacher. My husband, out of desperation, finally decided to hire a housekeeper to come once every two weeks to relieve some of the pressure at home. What a gift!

For months the housekeeper slipped quietly into my home while I was at school. I couldn't wait to get home. I would take in the smell of Pledge and Pinesol as I opened the door. On this particular day, she came while I was working at home. When she was finished working her magic, she walked in softly and stood by my desk. When I looked up, her eyes were on the floor. She stammered, "As I've been cleaning your house, I guessed you was a teacher." "Why, yes!" I said, quite proud of my profession. "Well. … I was wondering. I graduated from high school here in town but I didn't never learn to read. Do you think you could...