To All my Fellow New York State Educators:
Just close your eyes for a minute and picture this (I know you will be able to relate)... As I walked throughout our building today I felt like I had been run over by a bus - several times. I was feeling tired, frustrated and defeated. During my visits to the classrooms and learning spaces, I watched our staff members walk around and everyone clearly looked stressed, anxious and emotionally drained. As if that weren't enough, our kids were crying, throwing up and visiting the Nurse's Office in droves this week! Why you ask? Did we lose a valued member of our community? No! Were our bodies taken over by mean, cranky aliens? No! The reason stress, anxiety and frustration permeated our building this week was because our children (with us alongside them) endured (or suffered through) three days of New York State English Language Arts Common Core Testing!
So, technically we are not supposed to talk or write about the tests (we have been threatened with having our licenses revoked if we do so) but this is what I have to say... in what other area of our lives do we expect 8, 9, 10 and 11 year olds to sit quietly for almost two hours just reading and writing without a break for three days in a row? Sitting quietly for two hours is hard enough for any person but to have to read long passages and then try and answer questions that are clearly set up to trick the children (for THREE DAYS in a row) is UNFAIR, UNNECESSARY and RIDICULOUS! We want the children to read a text and then show a thorough understanding? FINE - I am all for it because our kids are amazing readers and writers and we should assess those skills! But, at least give them questions or opportunities to show their understandings and new knowledge in meaningful, engaging and age appropriate ways. Don't ask them to describe which paragraph BEST supports this, that or the other... who reads for those purposes? NOT ME! And guess what, I turned out ok (I think) and in the end, I was both college and career ready! I graduated from college (first person in my family to do so), I am currently pursuing my doctorate and I have a job that I love! Did I need the Common Core State Standards or a high stakes test to meet with success? NO! Honestly, I probably would have failed the tests this week but not because I am not a good reader or writer but because I don't have the stamina or attention to focus for such extended periods of time!
The fact that Dr. King (New York State Commissioner of Education) thinks that these tests will address the problems in our schools is comical! How would he know? His children do not attend public schools and they are not sitting for these high stakes tests that he promotes and stands behind! He himself spent very little time in NY public schools. Yet, from his outside view and somewhat biased perspective, he is going to tell us how to fix our schools! How can someone claim to be able to fix our schools without spending time INSIDE our schools and trying to get to the root cause of the problem? I dont know about you but if my medical doctor wanted to diagnose and remedy me just by looking at me from the outside, that would be my last visit to that doctor - in fact, I would advocate to have his license revoked!
Here is the bottom line - this whole experience angers me as a parent, educator and advocate for kids who has devoted most of his adult life to doing what is best for children! I am angry because I do not believe in the supposed crisis in the world of public education today - this crisis is being generated by politicians, commissioners of education and the media and I don't think it is rooted in facts or educationally sound research! Are there issues in our schools? ABSOLUTELY! Do we need to fix the many educationally related problems that exist in pockets of this country? YES! So, if "they" really want to fix the crisis in our educational system, then they must address the issues of race, class and segregation - those are the problems that the Common Core State Standards and these high stakes tests will NEVER fix! The only results that will occur after giving these tests are a greater educational divide, a deflated morale among many educators and children whose self-esteem and image will be changed forever. So, my question remains... How Will These Tests Help Improve the Educational Crisis?
I don't think that the tests will improve anything in education as long as people outside of the field are the ones enforcing our policies. All I have seen so far are tests that have caused stress and anxiety. Do we really need to put elementary school children under this amount of pressure to see if they have made progress? Look what has gone on in our country this past year alone! We clearly have enough stressed out, depressed and anxiety ridden people already. Where do we go from here?
ReplyDeleteHeartfelt and so, so true. I feel for you. Someone is making a lt of money off our kids.
ReplyDeleteTime to push back. When politicians mandate things we KNOW are harmful for our kids, then we must resist....politely at first, but if we don't stand up for what is best for our kids, who will? Write you legislators, help parents organize protests, join the Network for Public Education. If we are united, we can make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry if these leads to any headaches for you Tony, but then again I sometimes think I will just hire you to run my free Private School that is open to anyone who wants to enjoy learning like it could be. This Standardized Testing Accountability Craze is driving good teachers out, driving students to hate school and learning, and sends them running into the arms of for profit institutions like virtual schools running canned curriculums and for profit charters. Or off to private schools that will charge them a greater amount than tax dollars paid now, that will pay teachers less and provide no benefits. These very same private schools that already milk the system by not providing Special Education except what local school districts must provide to them, or worse, they will not accept students that do not meet their standards leaving a population of students to fall into poverty and perpetuate a cycle. I am sick of the idiotic legislators that play to the publishers hands (probably for kickbacks and donations) so that our system because about profiteering instead of learning.
ReplyDeleteWhen there are masses of educators trying to turn this system around and put the focus back on kids why is it that politicians feel that they better understand what we need. Their attempt to standardized everything and have create accountability measures that are not even accurate only depresses students, learning and the growth of educators. I can't decide if they are ignorant or if they know exactly what they are doing (which is even scarier). Sorry Tony, but thinking of this situation just ticks me off. My empathy for students and teachers quickly turns to outright rage against the pure idiots running our country.
Thank you for being willing to speak up!
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely not alone. It's not as if there needs to be SOME testing, but the agenda was made clear long ago, and it isn't the children. If it really was, the process would be a social/equity of resources and pay and respect for teachers approach to try and emulate Finland's model. Start older,support/respect/pay teachers more, students have better outcomes. I think the instinct for leaders might be to go more Singapore, but that would mean open revolt...so they chose...Do it the American way!!! Turn it over to corporations and wealthy folks who write our laws and shrivel at the thought of equity like creatures of the night, have them pull the puppet strings on "elected" and appointed officials, and have them squeeze some of that shared sacrifice out of one of the few exploitable sources of wealth left: children, families, and public schools.
ReplyDeleteThat's what feels particularly heavy about this testing season. I can forgive numskulls that don't know anything about kids imposing ridiculous tests and testing protocols. It's their agenda and the lengths they're allowed to go to that make me mad.
Ahem my friend! I feel the exact same way! I hate this time of year! Those tests do nothing to test what students really know.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Thank you and thank you.
ReplyDelete~Deflated Morale
If we truly valued children we would make sure they had inspirational , prepared, teachers who love children and want them to succeed. Then we would give those teachers all the resources they needed to help them. We would allow children to progress at their own pace and not be so judgemental about the progress they make as long as the child is working to the best of his ability.
ReplyDeleteTony – I hear you and feel exactly the same way here. We both have schools that have been recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools and the criteria for those awards are so embedded in school cultures that have been fostered, learning experiences, staff collegial opportunities and growth to name a few. Those are essential components to successful learning environments and student achievement. Will our kids persevere and do well on these tests?– I hope so but in the process so many were deflated these last two weeks (students and staff) and that is not ok because like you said, “how will these test help improve the educational crisis?” I don’t believe they will, but what we have been doing in our schools will, and we need to continue to focus on those educational experiences and environments for all students while continuing to voice our objection to the high stakes tests while providing an alternative as a profession. Educators need to take back our profession. Keep fighting the fight!!
ReplyDelete