Jeff and I have spent a great deal of time talking about where we find ourselves in education as of late.
Often, I'm brought back to 20 plus years ago when I first stepped into my classroom. I was so eager and filled with complete joy to begin my life as a career educator. It was finally my time to use all the methods of engagement that I only got to "try" out on students during practicums and student teaching. Now, I would have my own class full of 24 students to teach, inspire and love.
Thinking back to those early days, I remember getting curriculum in my hand and artistically crafting lessons that would engage my students in the learning process. I'd toil over my educational manuals and my stacks of books by companies/publishers like Frank Schafer, Good Apple, Mailbox, Instructor, Project Learning Tree, Foss Kits, etc. I'd read voraciously through new chapter books to find that perfect Read Aloud for my 4th grade class. Spending hours at the local bookstores digging through picture books to teach mini-lessons across the curriculum would literally fill my bucket. My sister and I would pick out yards of fabric to display interactive bulletin boards and encouraging posters and displays of student work. There was never enough time to plan anticipatory set (the hook of the lesson - Madeline Hunter theory) to grab my students attention at the onset of a lesson. Knowing how all kids learn differently, I'd look for songs, drama, games, art and yes, FUN ways students could demonstrate learning. The process was an art. The process was creative. The process was fulfilling.
Sadly, school has changed. It's can be a challenge to continue that strong motivation while teaching in the "high stakes" environment. I cringe at some of the current words/jargon in education. Rigor, data, NAEP scores, teacher effectiveness, academic standards, performance assessments, benchmarks, probes and process evaluations - all make my head spin.
No teacher ever walks into school in September saying, "I think I'll leave a few kids behind this year," or "I'd really like to work on having a non-rigorous curriculum." Educators are NOT slackers. We think, we are reflective and we genuinely have a LOVE children. We believe in igniting fires for learning. We want students to want to pick up a book, just due to interest. We believe all children have a capacity to learn and that all children can achieve.
The constant backlash of educators is a direct hit not only at me as a career educator, but also at my students. I challenge any politician to walk into a 5th grade classroom and answer the questions and do the work of a 21st Century 5th grader. Could they compare and contrast the diversity and interdependence among the spheres of the Earth - could they even name them? Could they sit and write a coherent 5 paragraph persuasive essay influencing their community to have a safe haven for children to go - without being enticed with corporate money or sponsor kickbacks? Could they solve the double pan balance problems and explain their thinking and reasoning in writing, clearly defining each mental step of the mathematical process? Could they cite evidence as to what the greatest impacts were of Sherman's March to the Sea and how it still has an impact on the South in 2014? Or how about researching using the Google Research Tool on Google Docs using the Cornell note taking process, then turning your evidence into a first person narrative using the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing?
I refuse to give in to the new paradigm. Children are children. They are more than a test score. Not all progress can be measured. We are messing with the human factor. Growth ebbs and flows. I want my students to know I recognize ALL their learning not just that which is quantifiable.
Stepping down from my soapbox!
Lynn
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