Sunday, March 30, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
A little background...
When I was in school, I was one of the weirdos who enjoyed testing days. I always scored well on standardized tests and loved the excuse for getting out of class. However, the scores meant nothing more to me than bragging rights (and I usually only bragged inside my head, felt proud). There was nothing riding on the outcome of the tests for me or my teachers, as far as I knew. The frequency of the tests was also no more than every couple of years.
In 2007, I began pursuing my degree in elementary education. All I ever wanted to be was a teacher. I never even considered the option of any other career. At that point, not that I had done much research, but I only really heard of the FCATs as far as high stakes testing was concerned. I would see children on the news crying because of the pressure placed on them to do well on these tests. It made me sick. Here's a link to the letter of one concerned parent. http://www.keysnet.com/2014/03/01/494980/schools-need-to-quit-stressing.html She is begging for a change because her son who does excellent in school and usually scores well on these types of tests lost nights of sleep stressing over it. Does that sound right to you? To get back to my original point, this was one of a few reasons that I decided teaching was no longer for me. It was evident that this was the way our educational system was moving (Oh, and don't even get me started on Common Core...) and I really did not want any part of it.
I 100% agree that some sort of evaluation needs to be in place in order to track the progress of our students but should it really be up to the test whether or not someone passes to the next grade? Teachers, the professionals, who work with these students all year long are the only ones who should be deciding that. Now, of course, there will always be minimum requirements that must be met in order to move forward but should it really be one test on one day which requires a student to fill in bubbles? School should be about learning to learn. Sure, it is important to know algebra and how to read and write, but I think the most important thing for a student to leave school with is a hunger for knowledge and a curiosity of the world. With that, the possibilities are limitless. What is more inspiring than a SELF-motivated learner, a student who seeks the answers for their own personal gain? I think that these tests and the method by which students are taught to pass these tests is killing that in so many children.
We, as a nation, are on our way to changing this system but it is still a long way off. Changes like this do not happen overnight and do not happen without your help. Do not be a bystander. Join me and many others in the fight for a better public education system. The future of our country depends upon it.
Sign the below petition and help spread the word!
http://action.aft.org/c/44/p/salsa/web/tellafriend/public/?tell_a_friend_KEY=8685
If you forward the petition to others using the e-mail list at this link, please be sure to add the link to the page in the customizable message space. For some reason, it is not already filled in. Thanks!
In 2007, I began pursuing my degree in elementary education. All I ever wanted to be was a teacher. I never even considered the option of any other career. At that point, not that I had done much research, but I only really heard of the FCATs as far as high stakes testing was concerned. I would see children on the news crying because of the pressure placed on them to do well on these tests. It made me sick. Here's a link to the letter of one concerned parent. http://www.keysnet.com/2014/03/01/494980/schools-need-to-quit-stressing.html She is begging for a change because her son who does excellent in school and usually scores well on these types of tests lost nights of sleep stressing over it. Does that sound right to you? To get back to my original point, this was one of a few reasons that I decided teaching was no longer for me. It was evident that this was the way our educational system was moving (Oh, and don't even get me started on Common Core...) and I really did not want any part of it.
I 100% agree that some sort of evaluation needs to be in place in order to track the progress of our students but should it really be up to the test whether or not someone passes to the next grade? Teachers, the professionals, who work with these students all year long are the only ones who should be deciding that. Now, of course, there will always be minimum requirements that must be met in order to move forward but should it really be one test on one day which requires a student to fill in bubbles? School should be about learning to learn. Sure, it is important to know algebra and how to read and write, but I think the most important thing for a student to leave school with is a hunger for knowledge and a curiosity of the world. With that, the possibilities are limitless. What is more inspiring than a SELF-motivated learner, a student who seeks the answers for their own personal gain? I think that these tests and the method by which students are taught to pass these tests is killing that in so many children.
We, as a nation, are on our way to changing this system but it is still a long way off. Changes like this do not happen overnight and do not happen without your help. Do not be a bystander. Join me and many others in the fight for a better public education system. The future of our country depends upon it.
Sign the below petition and help spread the word!
http://action.aft.org/c/44/p/salsa/web/tellafriend/public/?tell_a_friend_KEY=8685
If you forward the petition to others using the e-mail list at this link, please be sure to add the link to the page in the customizable message space. For some reason, it is not already filled in. Thanks!
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