SOL #18
I have been brainstorming all day. I am chasing an elusive topic. I know what my fingers want to write about, but I am avoiding it. There are just so many things that are easier to write about, like spring happening outside my door or my cat chasing a baby lizard. But these subjects are fluffy, romantic, stupid.
It’s moments like these that I wish I were Donalyn Miller or Nanci Atwell, and I could just come right out and say it. I’d say it so eloquently that someone would get it and do something about it. I’m not a famous educator. I have not published any books on teaching. But I am there in the trenches, as they say, doing the job.
This is the week, the dreaded week, of testing. Actually, this is only the first of three weeks of testing. We have another one in April and a third in May. What is this world coming to? Who in the real world takes tests for three weeks? My daughter took the Bar Exam and it was only one week. And at the end of that test, she became a lawyer. At the end of this testing, where will our students be? Gladly out for the summer!
Prior to this testing week were weeks of “test prep.” Why? Because we fear that our teaching isn’t good enough, that the test is too hard, that they are not ready.
I am one of the lucky ones. My students are gifted. They are telling me the test is not as hard as they thought it would be. I think this is a good sign. But even so, the test is not what we have been doing in my class. In my class, my students read the books they want to read and write about what they want to write about. Horrors! Will they be ready?
I’m wondering what happened to putting students first. What happened to good old Piaget’s theory of child development? (Note: Theoretical, abstract logic do not happen until 11+ years.)
Today I listened to beautiful and eloquent Nancie Atwell on CNN. Her students do authentic writing and reading, so they know what writing and reading are good for. She would not encourage any creative thinker to go into the field of public education as it is right now. “It (CCSS) has turned teachers into technicians, not reflective practitioners.” Wow! That is heavy. If Common Core and the tests have done this to teachers, then heaven forbid what they are doing to our students.
Where is the love of learning? Who will teach our students that reading is pleasurable? What about creativity? I shudder to think what kind of adults this testing environment will produce. Creative problem solvers? Effective communicators? I think not.
Reflections on the Teche 
My students just finished their 5 days of 5th gr PARCC testing and today we return to a regular schedule! Thanks for your reflections. And thanks for posting Nancie on CNN. I hadn’t watched yet and you made it easy. Lots to ponder…
I love you, Nancie Atwell, and I respectfully disagree that now is not a time for young creative men and women not to go into the public sector of education. The standards are weighted down by the evaluation process. Assessment is often to much and high stakes enough that pressure seems insurmountable. Yet, the writing and reading that she speaks about in her school, which I love, is seen in public schools across the country. We need young, innovative, creative teachers to step up to the plate and help lead. I am so glad you won this award to put the spotlight on instruction that is best for children.
What a wonderful response. I should tweet this out. You are so right. We need creative minds. And there is worthy instruction happening. The weight of assessment is heavy and is driving many good teachers to seek other employment or early retirement.
Please feel free to tweet it, Margaret. If you do, could you please get rid of my second not and change to to too? I read and listened this morning and had a passionate response as I was hurrying out the door to give a writing workshop to teachers. Thanks for your response.
And thanks for a very thought provoking blog entry. I have thought about this all day and will most likely blog about this myself tomorrow.
My daughter is finishing her student teaching in just a few short weeks. Your response put a warm feeling in my heart. So many people discouraged her, but this is what she wants to do and I know she will be a great teacher. Thank you! I think I might have a slice coming up about this. Do you mind if I reference your response?
Not at all, Leigh Anne. Glad your daughter is joining an important and worthy profession. So important!
Thank you for writing from the heart today. We are getting ready to enter the testing “season” here in TX, when I’ll have to shut down my library for four or more days to accommodate testers and/or those who are finished testing. I found out last week that my son’s sophomore English test is FIVE hours long. That’s five hours that could be spent reading more, writing more, learning more….sigh.
It is posts like yours that make me glad that I teach at an international school that values different things and is not required to do all this testing. You identify som essential skills that are suffering due to the testing craze. Really we should be encouraging teaching and learning, not testing.
You had me at “I could not stop my hands from writing what they wanted to write.” This is such a well written piece. It is heavy. Yet, so important to continue to reflect on. Thank you.
I was reading today that the testing company is monitoring students’ social media for discussions or comments about test questions. This whole thing is spiraling out of control. And you are right about what of adults will be seeing in the near future. I am so glad your fingers wrote about this.
Thank goodness public schools do still have so many reflective educators–like you–who keep fighting the good fight.
Well said Margaret. (And you are kind of famous…you won the Donald Graves Award, for Heaven’s sakes!) 🙂 I feel very fortunate that our superintendent was named to a senatorial committee to look at how testing is being used in public schools. He’s been upfront and vocal about testing the way we do it now is not in the best interest of children.
Well said Margaret! Your fingers did the talking today.
Bravo, Margaret! It is exactly teachers like you who are “in the trenches” who need to speak the truth! While I think the standards themselves aren’t terrible for ELA, the testing is another story. They are inauthentic and developmentally inappropriate and hopefully won’t be around very long. Thank you for voicing your concerns so eloquently.