I just heard a piece on NPR about the way to achieve creativity in the workplace. The carrot and stick approach, e.g. setting goals with rewards and punishment, does not work. Giving the worker autonomy and time to solve the problem is what works according to the author of "Right Brain Will Rule" (or something like that). This approach should not compromise anyone's integrity.

Hopefully, more companies will adopt this as corporate philosophy. Getting more with less will eventually result in poor quality and, most importantly, sacrifice safety.

My last employer did the "do more with less" gambit and kept doing it until employees were literally dropping over due to heart attacks and strokes. In my case my doctor advised me to get out because I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. After 28 years on the job, I felt there was no future at this place so I took early retirement at a considerably reduced pension. The human cost to this employer was enormous with disability retirements and loss of experienced people through attrition. In the 12 years since I have left, the situation in my department has gotten much worse, but it is no longer my problem. I will not mention the name of this place except to say the boss is a very highly visible and bellicose public figure in California. The human cost was clearly not worth it.

This can be applied to education very easily. As the "No Child Left Behind" regulations become more ridiculously pressing on administrators (and therefore teachers) for children to achieve unreachable goals (100% passing of standardized testing), the pressure to cheat to achieve is far reaching. Teachers can do much for those struggling students, but outside influences (domestic violence, drugs, neglect…) often prevent students from achieving at the high levels required for schools to avoid sanctions. I have seen with my own eyes teachers doing student work so that these requirements can be achieved (on paper: success, in reality: an immoral lesson to continue the cycle of lies and deceit many of these kids live with every day at home). As a teacher, morality is something I strive to teach (emotionally disturbed special education teenagers in public school) as much as the subject content I teach. It hurts my heart to see great teachers and administrators forced into this fraud. We can’t just quit because the system is turning insane – we love these kids too much. We just struggle on.

I am reminded that you can treat a man like a dog, but you cannot treat a dog like a man. Those greyhounds run because it is part of their nature to run. But they run well because they are well-treated before and after. They do what they do best and they do it well, but the entirety of the dog is taken care of. The message in this is that to bring out the best in a greyhound or an employee or a friend, don't just focus on the rabbit or the goal, but be sure to see the bigger picture.

So why don't teachers stand up and refuse to go along with No Child Left Behind? I used to stand in the schoolyard and tell military recruiters to get lost and find their cannon fodder elsewhere. Most teachers are such sheep. It's terrible.

Rev. Oleson, this country and most of Europe would not be free except for the American soldier. And no, sir, I have not seen combat, but I have served the USA in Europe in the Air Force and would do it again if necessary. Freedom, sir, is not free. God bless you and our soldiers, sailors and airmen who serve boldly and without reservation. I believe you owe them an apology for calling them cannon fodder. Have a great day.