I’m sure this had nothing to do with the fact that while some groups were in the lunchroom, other groups were taking the ITBS, our state’s annual week-long high-stakes standardized test.
Completely unrelated cartoon here.
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Monday, October 10, 2011
And it’s only the first day of Testing Week
Today the lunchroom guards attendants at our elementary school told the kids (for about the millionth time) that they were being too noisy at lunch. This time, though, they said that if the kids weren’t quieter at lunch tomorrow, there would be assigned seats at lunch for the rest of the year.
I’m sure this had nothing to do with the fact that while some groups were in the lunchroom, other groups were taking the ITBS, our state’s annual week-long high-stakes standardized test.
Completely unrelated cartoon here.
.
I’m sure this had nothing to do with the fact that while some groups were in the lunchroom, other groups were taking the ITBS, our state’s annual week-long high-stakes standardized test.
Completely unrelated cartoon here.
.
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14 comments:
How about the fact that some of those kids had just finished taking ITBS and maybe needed a bit of an outlet or the maybe that time being social has a great deal of value?
Nice cartoon. It's fabulous that there's a series of tests with the acronym "SOL". This stuff satirizes itself.
FedUpMom -- Funny but true!
Mandy- They can't have that luxury! They need to eat in silence so that their brains can get prepared for next year's tests!
I'd like to see them try and implement the same rule at my school where 80% of the school doesn't eat in the cafeteria, a good number preferring to eat on the school oval instead (like having a picnic). Even when the year 12s have their final secondary school exams, we just get told to be quiet directly around the areas where the tests are being taken. (I don't live in the US in case you're wondering. Also, it seems to me that no matter which country you go to, primary school students get shoved around by teachers more than secondary school students- probably because primary school students are less likely to fight back! So much for "go pick on someone your own size!")
Under the new blueprint plan for the state, 3rd graders who are insufficiently skilled readers will be held back until they meet requirements - it's like NCLB's approach to teachers, schools, and principals but the Iowa version goes right after the moral and self-esteem of the individual children.
Thanks for the comments, Hienuri and Julie.
Eventually I will get some posts up about the Governor's "Blueprint."
The greatest way for a child's self-esteem to be impacted is to actually be able to read and to therefore succeed at other things. Social promotion is costing this country in huge ways! If the child can't read at or above 3rd. grade level, they have no business being promoted into 4th grade. I'm sure they'll really feel good self-esteem when they can't read the science book.
2ndly - we always had assigned seats at lunch, in the classroom, and on the school bus. Frankly - it made things easier. Children didn't have "hurt feelings" when so-and-so wouldn't sit with them. Kinda like uniforms. If everyone looks similar, no one has to worry about the right boots (fake Uggs, anyone?) or shirts.
In China you're actually prohibited from blowing your car horn - a very fun thing for all Chinese drivers to do! - in a 6 block zone around the school while testing is going on. Silence in the area is mandatory. Because they know how important the results are to the students.
Anonymous -- If kids would really prefer to have assigned seats, why not let them decide the issue themselves?
As for China, it's not the first country I'd choose to model our approach after. Why not look at a democratic country like Finland as a model?
Finally, what do you mean when you say "they know how important the results are to the students"? I can see how the ITBS results affect administrators and teachers and schools under NCLB, but how is doing well on the tests (as opposed to actually learning the underlying material) important for the students? Being quiet for a 6-block radius isn't going to alter what the students have or haven't learned; any increase it causes in the test scores doesn't reflect anything at all about what the students have actually learned.
One of the functions of school is to allow kids to meet other kids and learn how to socialize. If they never get to choose whom to sit with, how will they make friends?
My feeling is that we should give kids as much freedom as possible, and only restrict their freedom when we have no other choice. Lunch should be a much-needed break for kids. They should make their own decisions about where to sit, with whom, and what to talk about.
Meanwhile, those of us who homeschool are chastised for denying our children the valuable socialization experiences which can only come from school.
Rivka -- Yeah, that argument against homeschooling has never seemed persuasive to me; I feel like most people have to unlearn the social "skills" they learned in K-12 before they can function in the adult world. But it seems even less persuasive the more I see of how little schools seem to care about providing meaningful time for social interaction.
"Teacher" left the following comment, which I just accidentally deleted (damn that iPhone!):
This blog is refreshing to read. I haven't thought about education like this since college. A small liberal arts school where I learned all about constructivism. John Dewey. Read Alfie Kohn. Cried reading Shame of the Nation. Vowed to never assign busy work as homework.
And then reality set in. At 22, kids walked all over me. Now at 27 (right, all so much wiser ;) ) my students dont lose a minute of instructional time. My objectives are clearly written on the board. Every minute of the day is scheduled for. My students, my 32 5 year olds are allowed 15 mins a day for play. 20 mins for lunch. 10 mins for breakfast. They don't talk in the bathrooms or hallway. They get prizes when they turn in homework. They get prizes if they are on "green". I lose my patience often. This isn't why I became a teacher. My reading scores are up there. My kids are going to college. My kids will read C level books at end of kindergarten. They will read 90 sight words. They will write 3 part stories. I use data. I script lesson plans. I go in on Saturdays and bring work home through out the week. I am doing everything right according to the standards of my school. But in reality I'm not doing enough. They are 5. They don't get recess-no time. No nap time. It's awful. It's a different community. The parents love the worksheets. Why didn't I send a packet home over thanksgiving break? So and so was on green. Where's their prize? Does a 5 year old need to know school isn't fun all the time? I digress.
Oh yay. A bike for raffle for perfect attendance.
Teacher -- Thanks for commenting. I wonder how many teachers would tell a similar story.
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