Testing Torture: Write on Wednesday September 17, 2008
Posted by blk1 on September 17, 2008
From Becca’s Write on Wednesday
How about you? Is there a book you’d love to read that hasn’t been written? What do you love reading about, and how could you write about it? What fascinates you that could become the subject for your next story, essay, poem, or blog post?
I am obsessed with the effects of high stakes testing on the future of our educational system. I left my classroom as the pressures were just in their earliest stages. I taught a “safe” school, where administrators were more in a competitive race with rival schools for the highest numbers of passing students.
In my last five years I had my pick of classes so my eighth graders were honors students, able to enjoy the challenges of my classroom, business as usual and the scores were high without much focus directly on teaching to the test. But as I work with young teachers at the Hudson Valley Writing Project, their experiences are very different. They are feeling the pressure, I a pressure I never felt and they are on my mind, especially with the high teacher drop out rate as high as it is.
How can teachers motivate their kids when they are feeling such pressure to teach daily to a test?
This is the book I’d like to write…
Personally, I’ve been thinking about how difficult it is to blend families to mesh with a marriage union. There’s your immediate family unit to begin: parents and siblings. There’s tension, but it’s manageable. Then the parents push the kids out into the world in search of partners and they bring back mates and the next generation begins. A mine field! Sure, the ideal is to have everyone get along and become one big happy family, but does that ever really happen?
So that’s what I’m thinking about writing…the consequences of high stakes tests and the family unit. But I can only suggest the topics, I’m really not ready to work on either topic.
Any book suggestions?
Write On Wednesday “Extra Credit” Prompt: Make a list of 10 things you’re interested in learning more about…choose one and write about it in a way that inspires a reader to want to know more about it as well.
1. I always want to get inside a guitar and walk around in it, digging deeper into classical, jazz, blues, rock.
2. I would love to work on a movie set, follow around a director and document his/her work.
3. I would love to be a radio DJ…
4. I would love to direct a new version of the play Rent! I spent many years working on high school stages, working with kids and loved it. As I finished one play, I would be planning the next one. As I came to the end of my teaching career, I felt that I had directed enough plays but there’s always one more…I think I’d like to take on a fresh look at Rent.
5. I love learnings more about photography, and digital storytelling and exploring the creative power of the mac. What’s coming down the road, next???
I’m running out of energy…
One more….I would love to work on a political campaign, working hand in hand with a candidate. I was jealous as I watched the democratic convention. I’d love to be on the inside of the Barack staff. At least I have a t-shirt, a button and a bumper sticker and I send a contribution every time I have wake up in the middle of the night from a Palin nightmare. I need to do even more…phone calls, a trip to Pennslyvania.
I’m sure I will add more but it’s 11 PM. Time for Charlie Rose and the mess with the stock market. How will that affect life as we know it?
September 18th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Hello again!! In reading your blog I wanted to tell you what I have been working on. Kara Stevenson (a name from the past!) now works as a teacher in Philly. She teaches 7th grade and her students deal with a lot of family and self issues that greatly affect their school work. I am working on a collection of stories of adults that went through teen issues and how they were able to work through it. Drugs, teen pregnancy, divorse, etc. If you or someone you know would like to contribute I would be thrilled! I am hoping to have the proceeds go towards a domestic violence shelter a friend of mine is opening up. Let me know what you think!!
September 19th, 2008 at 9:40 am
A thoughtful post.
As a teacher, I think I understand what you mean.
September 19th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I relate to this a lot. I want to write about trusting teachers to do their jobs and not micromanaging them. I started a blog to try to make a space for it, but still find myself holding my tongue. Not sure why.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I LOVE your list! Every single thing you wrote is something I’d love to do (although prior to reading it, I’d never really thought about them, but then — yeah! That’s me! That, too! This is a splendid post, and I hope you write that book — it could help a lot of people.
September 24th, 2008 at 7:23 am
I would read that book! I am not sure many people understand the consequences.
Reggie Routman’s book “Conversations” is one that really sums up my philosophy of teaching reading: Help them learn to talk about books and love books. In “Schools That Work” by Allington/Cunningham, they say we need to raise more flashlight readers than stoplight readers. Stoplight readers are always stopping to predict, check predictions, discuss, make a chart, fill out a graphic organizer,write in a journal, etc. What we really should aim for is a flashlight reader: a kid who keeps a flashlight under his pillow and sneaks in some reading under the covers when he is supposed to be asleep. (I am paraphrasing!)My class this year did a really good job on the standardized test last year. This year, when I had them fill out a survey, they ALL told me they think they are good readers,& they spend time reading outside of school, but they think reading is boring. I was aghast! But now I know where to start.