From grade school to high school, the No Child Left Behind of 2001 has handicapped children of all ages. Instead of this strategy doing what its words spell out, it did the opposite. For the past few years, there has been an adverse reaction of this system.

The system requirement is that in order to graduate, students must obtain a certain amount of credits plus pass the exit exam to receive a diploma.

Unfortunately, as usual, Mississippi along with our neighboring state, Louisiana became states that were forced to go into this federally funded program to help our children obtain a decent education. Because of the stigmas this law has caused, we realize now that free money isn’t everything it is paid out to be. More and more, our children are facing harsh disappointments. They face the disappointments of being held back in one way or another. Whether it’s repeating the same grade or not receiving a diploma, its effect is devastating.

In May, our young adults are eager and ecstatic to complete a milestone — 12 plus years of schooling, then graduating. For so many years they have dotted all their Is, crossed all their Ts, made the 3.0 or better, had great attendance, a great attitude, got up every morning went to school faithfully, but what they expect didn’t happen.

They expected to graduate, but they got disappointed upon finding out that they couldn’t graduate because of the standardized testing results they received just days before graduation. I have found it heartbreaking for several years to come across students, parents, and families who have gotten their lives shattered through this process. They have gone through the ritual of going on the senior trip, getting fit for the gown, and even participating in the practice march, only to find out that they missed the mark by two or three points on the exit exam, even though they had acquired all credits needed.

The bad part about it was that some of the students were all A students. How heartbreaking is this.

We, as a society, have gotten too far away from the real “ABC’s.” We have placed our children in this standard of completion that is mind shattering to some. We don’t realize how deeply this affects our children. How long will we allow this occurrence to keep repeating itself?

How many children have felt that the system has let them down? This impact is more serious than we realize. And we wonder sometimes why there are so many dropouts each year. And we wonder why our children lose interest.

Do we as their leaders, teachers and parents know how our children really feel behind failure? Do we know how it feel to be left behind and have to repeat the same grade; or how it feel to have completed 12 years of schooling and not be able to graduate from high school, all because of the exit exam. Literally, children are being left behind, more so after the law was put into effect more 10 years ago. In reality, this system is not working.

What does it takes to realize that all children are not the same when it comes to educating them. And all children do not handle testing the same. As a mother, I realized that long as my children got the basics, reading, writing and being able to count their money, they would be alright. I say count their money because this world revolves around money in one way or the other, and every millionaire did not graduate from school or college.

What it’s going to take is finding another solution to the problem that NCLB has caused? Although we cannot beat the system because of the rules already in place, let’s find a way to revamp the old system. It is time to make a change now for the future graduating classes so that they won’t have to feel the same pain of devastation of not being able to graduate after 12 plus years of schooling.

We should encourage those that have been affected by this dilemma and encourage them to not give up.

Just the other day as I was in the audience, as a grandparent, of the sixth-grade graduation ceremony in Natchez, I saw more than 200 students go up and receive their diplomas. I saw the excitement in their eyes and felt their sense of pride. I realized that this form of encouragement will go a long way for these children. Not only will they remember that graduation ceremony, but it will be the basis for them to look forward to the many graduations, in their lives, to come.

Congratulations are in order for all graduates.

Beverly Gibson is a Ferriday resident.