WHITE RIVER VALLEY — We all have had favorite teachers. The men and women employed at every level of the educational system open minds and ensure quality of life, economic prosperity, and our lasting democracy. An informed electorate is essential to every aspect of our lives.

With the passage of the national No Child Left Behind law the job of teaching has become less about instruction and more about test taking.

With teacher pay tied to scores and stringent school accountability the norm, the art of teaching has been sacrificed. As many teachers continue to instruct, to inspire, to urge, to open the world of imagination they are scored by a single aspect: test scores.

Educators, parents and administrators breathe life into educational system. While standardized testing has its place the subtle role of teaching isn’t rewarded.

When a teacher is engaged with students on a personal level instead of thinking their paycheck is on the line with an arbitrary number, teaching becomes transformative. Who better than a teacher to draw a child out of their shell? Who better to impart to a child a sense of awe and wonderment than a teacher? The best teachers are the ones who ensure successful interactions through genuine caring. Teachers care about the students and want, above all, for each child to learn.

The NCLB doesn’t seem to care about relationships in the classroom. It can’t measure teamwork, smiles, twinkling of eyes, or overcoming adversity. These important aspects of teaching are subordinated to proficiency on a test. Funding is tied to scores. Yet the scores used aren’t indicative of a good education. So, a kid can pass a test. How do they do with intuitive thinking, inductive and deductive reasoning? How do they operate when problem solving when faced with a multi-faceted conundrum?

Enter the teacher, whose true value can’t be measures with a No. 2 pencil coloring in dots on an optical scanner sheet.

Kids are no different now than they have been for generations as far as motivation to learning. Some excel while others falter. Some arrive with imagination while others come only a desire to finish school an be on with their lives. Some, sadly, choose to quit.

Yet, it’s the teachers who make lasting impressions on children. Teachers may never know how one interaction with a child will sustain success or provide an “ah” moment somewhere in the child’s future. And we now measure teacher pay on the outcomes of a tests? Teaching is more than a test score.

Sure, we all want children to do well on every test taken. We should want teachers to be judged on the intangibles of life, instillation of life long learning. How will the child perform in society long after their final test is graded? Are the children exposed to wonderful teachers, able to, in turn, teach? If we want to be fair, teachers should be paid for the culmination of their work and not on how a kid does on a standardized test while still a teenager.

Teachers like the late Jeff Myers of Elkins leave a lasting gift that can’t be quantified. The generations of students, myself included, owe a great debt of gratitude to teachers.

Without teachers each of us would be less than we are. Teachers provide the foundations of successful lives. Teaching is the one indispensable profession. Without teachers nothing else really matters.

I have failed tests. My teachers never failed me.

To each teacher, you have my gratitude and respect. Thank you.

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Steve Foster has a degree in criminal justice. He writes about social or political issues.

Opinion, Pages 4 on 11/04/2009

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