Teacher Talk
This is a private conversation, but it was real and so vividly represents the state of education today - test dependence.
Somehow or another a teacher managed to get a day ahead in her lessons. The kids are actually great - doing excellent, and trying their best to please. Monday is the first day of TPRI, a federally mandated test. It goes on all week, and sets the bar for what the kids are learning this year. Supposedly. If that were true, of course, then it wouldn't be controversial.
She said, "maybe I should give the test Friday, since I'm a day ahead. Then next week one day would could do something fun." As soon as she said it she realized and verbalized the fact that someone would get "in trouble" because every child has to take the test on Monday. Federal policy. Gotta do it their way or risk being fired.
So, I suggested, in passing, why not play some spelling games with the words they learned last year. We know the 20 words we cannot use (they're the test words); but it wouldn't hurt to remind them of similar words they learned last year.
She said, without skipping a beat, "Richard, we do not want the kids to do well on this test. We want them to do well on the test at the end of the year. We need to show growth or we will not have jobs." And, of course, she's 100% correct. that's the way the NCLB is written. We are not supposed to teach the children and push them to their best, we are to purposely dumb down our curriculum so we can continue to show growth.
Now, this is not a slumming teacher. She is a great teacher, a 20 year veteran, but one who knows the political realities we have to face to keep our jobs. I have high respect for her skills, and would be extra pleased to have my children attend her class if they were that age. Even though she will keep them from passing this test on Monday to make her score appear "super" at the end of the year, that does not make her a bad teacher or a bad person. Just a politically savvy one. She will teach the kids many many other things, none of which will ever be tested, simply because she's that kind of teacher.
But my heart makes me ponder - what if there were no politics in our schools? What if we simply let all children pass that silly test simply by reminding them of what they already know? How much further can we take them than the state wants? Our kids would be able to reach for the stars! Think for themselves. Read, write, and do arithmetic like children always have.
Oops sorry, another mandated test is coming up. A full week at the beginning of the year. A full week with no teaching, just testing. A full week that we purposely want the children to not do well at so we can show "growth". Oh, me of my, the realities of this profession could lead one to deep depression, except for the fact that kids are resilient and will grow despite our governments best efforts to keep them from reaching their highest potential. The children wil learn despite us, and that's why I love working with them.
Somehow or another a teacher managed to get a day ahead in her lessons. The kids are actually great - doing excellent, and trying their best to please. Monday is the first day of TPRI, a federally mandated test. It goes on all week, and sets the bar for what the kids are learning this year. Supposedly. If that were true, of course, then it wouldn't be controversial.
She said, "maybe I should give the test Friday, since I'm a day ahead. Then next week one day would could do something fun." As soon as she said it she realized and verbalized the fact that someone would get "in trouble" because every child has to take the test on Monday. Federal policy. Gotta do it their way or risk being fired.
So, I suggested, in passing, why not play some spelling games with the words they learned last year. We know the 20 words we cannot use (they're the test words); but it wouldn't hurt to remind them of similar words they learned last year.
She said, without skipping a beat, "Richard, we do not want the kids to do well on this test. We want them to do well on the test at the end of the year. We need to show growth or we will not have jobs." And, of course, she's 100% correct. that's the way the NCLB is written. We are not supposed to teach the children and push them to their best, we are to purposely dumb down our curriculum so we can continue to show growth.
Now, this is not a slumming teacher. She is a great teacher, a 20 year veteran, but one who knows the political realities we have to face to keep our jobs. I have high respect for her skills, and would be extra pleased to have my children attend her class if they were that age. Even though she will keep them from passing this test on Monday to make her score appear "super" at the end of the year, that does not make her a bad teacher or a bad person. Just a politically savvy one. She will teach the kids many many other things, none of which will ever be tested, simply because she's that kind of teacher.
But my heart makes me ponder - what if there were no politics in our schools? What if we simply let all children pass that silly test simply by reminding them of what they already know? How much further can we take them than the state wants? Our kids would be able to reach for the stars! Think for themselves. Read, write, and do arithmetic like children always have.
Oops sorry, another mandated test is coming up. A full week at the beginning of the year. A full week with no teaching, just testing. A full week that we purposely want the children to not do well at so we can show "growth". Oh, me of my, the realities of this profession could lead one to deep depression, except for the fact that kids are resilient and will grow despite our governments best efforts to keep them from reaching their highest potential. The children wil learn despite us, and that's why I love working with them.
posted by Cholla Needles | 8:21 PM
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