Inside the Schoolhouse: Hallowed Ground #2

I am often asked, as a

public school teacher,

what I think about testing,

or the common core.

I would like to say,

“Who cares,”

but I usually answer,

in less than five minutes.

I would,

a million times

rather

be asked,

what I think about

teaching and learning.  

For example,

instead of asking me

what I think about testing,

or the common core,

I’d love someone to ask,

So, what are kids reading these days?

            (that would imply you assume that they have a reading life)

What are her favorite books?

            (that would imply that you hope that they are

     readers with preferences. Always a sign of a 

     healthy reading life)

When does she read and where,

and for how long?

            (because you understand that this gives insight into whether or

             not they’ve developed a love for reading)

or

How’s your classroom library going?

Do you have enough books?

What do you need more of?

Are there enough leveled, high-interest books

for your kids to book shop?

            (because if there is not a robust classroom library, that serves

             multiple instructional purposes,  you know we should be concerned)

How many times did you read aloud today?

So where are they at in decoding?

Letter-sound, blending or reading words?

What poems and songs have you

read together?

Which poems make them laugh,

or remind them of their life,

or make them wonder about the world?

            (Because you hope that through my modeling of reading,

             thinking about my reactions to my reading, and sharing the secrets

             of a reader’s life with my students, they will copy me, and take

             ownership of their learning)

Where are they at, developmentally in making

text to self, text to text or text to world connections?

What in their life is supporting their reading development,

and where can we lift their reading habits and strategies?

            (Because even though you are a lay person, and not an

            educator, someone told you that reading comprehension is

            not torturing children with passages to read and then giving

    them multiple-choice questions,  but it is reading the world,

    so that they may find their place in it)

What do you need as a teacher of reading,

so that next week,

we will bring the most passionate, knowledgeable,

most prepared, and effective presenter

to further your understanding?

            (Because ideally, as in any profession, you are making

            sure, that I have what I need, to develop my knowledge

            about the teaching of reading. And the public is ensuring

            that teachers have quality opportunities to do this. We’re

            teaching the future of our country for goodness sake!)

Instead of the institution

asking

valuable questions about

teaching and learning,

or using our faculty meetings,

to support teacher-centered

inquiry and instructional planning,

I am routinely given,

a sheet,

with test dates,

and a packet,

of test materials,

and instructions on how to give the test.

And the public,

only knows to ask,

what do I think about

testing and the common core.