A wide variety of issues, locally and nationally, affect education and will continue to affect education until these issues are addressed and resolved. Overcrowded classrooms, lack of supplies, low teacher salaries, dilapidated buildings and high reliance on substitute teachers are some of the problems that have affected many schools across the country. Although some of these problems have been resolved, many remain. These questions are determined by the location of the school and the type of school, private, public or charter. Current issues in education that will influence my teaching, based on my beliefs, include the No Child Left Behind Act, time management, lack of flexibility, school budget cuts, technology, and bullying . Effective in 2001, The No Child Left Behind A law was proposed to nationally test all children under the same conditions and with the same test every year to prevent students from being trapped in a school in failure. However, the emphasis on these mandatory tests has taken the teaching of reading and math to a whole new level. With curricula devoting the majority of time to reading and mathematics, achievement has increased across the country, but a significant gap remains among students (Jennings & Rentner, 2006). Those who are smart turn out to be smarter, but students who struggle still seem to struggle. Pure memorization of facts taught under these conditions will have a long-term negative effect on students as they enter high school, college and their future plans. The benefits of the No Child Left Behind Act are currently being debated. This law raises concerns because it will influence my teaching as a teacher and the way I teach the next...... middle of article...... influence my teaching by not giving enough of time teaching subjects other than reading and mathematics. Time management and lack of flexibility will influence me by not allowing me to fully utilize my creativity or give my students the individual attention they deserve. School budgets will influence my teaching positively or negatively depending on whether my district is funded or cut. Technology will influence my teaching in a positive way by allowing students to use computers and other tools to actively participate, make choices, and execute skills in the classroom. Finally, harassment will influence my teaching by making me take responsibility for preventing these events. Even though these issues may come and go or persist permanently, as an educator I will not let them stop me from giving my students the chance to benefit from a well-rounded education..