Aha!! I think

Mr. Ayers finally put into words what I’ve been waiting to read for several years concerning the “biases” of standardized tests. I was wrapped up in his examples of the “porch” and “projects” as I finally understood a real life example of what kids of different backgrounds see. Unfortunately it means that I myself will have to watch out for this as I am from ONE background with many stereotypes that I might fully understand…or not. We’ve read enough this quarter about tests and bias and the negative effects of both on the students that I feel much more comfortable in discussions about the subject of standardized testing. The 2 pages he spent talking about the test he (Ayers) had to take to become a teacher himself hit home because I am about to take the West E soon and I feel the same way about my upcoming “test”. It will work my mind to search for random facts and mindless simple math that truly anyone with an education should be able to solve. But does this prove they can be a good teacher? Heck no. It proves they know the answers to the questions asked on the test. One of his examples was to name the capital of a specific state. I person might know this if they have memorized all fifty states….OR if they grew up in that state. That question itself becomes inherently biased. Ayers is correct in that it leaves out several valuable qualities a teacher might posses (initiative, creativity, etc). He also likened it to the bar exam in the world of law. As I said earlier, anyone with an education can pass this test, but not anyone with an education can pass the bar. Meaning by even having the test it pushes the stereotype that teachers have no unique skill. A real shame. On top of that it will cost me $220 to take these tests, an amount that could take a class of 30 to the Ice Caves to learn about glaciers and erosion.

Proud moments!! I wrote about two issues the previous week occurring on my track team. The first being about a boy who lost all sense of being when he gaffed on his race and lost a medal because of it. This past weekend he had a chance to redeem himself and boy did he. He was so focused on the finish line that by the time he reached it he was 10 meters (.01 hectometers) in front of his nearest competitor. He needed that to get over his feelings from the previous week and he was back on track. Then I saw the two girls that were at the heart of the “medal mix-up” laughing and playing together as if nothing ever happened. I asked the girls who rightfully got 2nd place how she was feeling and she told me that it would have been nice to get the medal but she knows what she did and she is proud she accomplished the feat. Splendid!! To top it all off the entire team ended up winning the overall championship. Together they ran onto the track, unprovoked mind you, picked up the trophy and as a team, ran a victory lap. Every single on this team ran around the track…faster than I have ever seen them run ironically enough. It melted my heart and actually brought a small tear to my eye. The same way the movies “Rudy”, “Miracle”, and “Seabiscut” did. My kids understood what a team was. I had been talking about it all year and this victory lap provided me with a HUGE aha moment that these kids got what I was talking about. Splendid!! TO use the title of the other reading for the week, this moment created an environment for learning. They were engaged, they were in the moment, and they were doing their own thing. That lap will be something they will never forget. The feelings they were having were real, authentic, and true. The effect was a smile on each person’s face. This effect is what I hope to build on in the classroom. If you can achieve this moment with any one person or group, you have created the ideal environment for learning. These kids will do whatever they can to feel that way again, and I will show them how to do it next year…whether they win or not.