March if a difficult time in our school. After working all year to teach our kids as much as we can, we spend the bulk of March testing them to prove how much they have learned. I am currently in the midst of the test we give to our of our ESL students. While it seems to be a good test that provide an accurate picture of the student's abilities to read, write, speak and listen in English, it is a very time consuming task to administer.
In addition to this test, our 2nd and 5th graders also take the California Achievement Test in March. Our district uses Criterion Referenced Tests (CRTs) to measure student achievement. These tests are given throughout the year as students master the material. March seems to be the peak time for administering CRTs.
Needless to say, this can be a very stressful time for teachers and students alike. In the midst of all the testing, when I get a chance to sit back and reflect on what we are doing, I have to ask what the result of all this testing is. What happens to the progress we have worked so hard to make when, for most of March, students are busy testing instead of learning?
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Inspiraiton
I have decided to start a blog as a way to record the thoughts I have on education. I don't know if anyone will chose to read or follow what I write, but I thought this could provide a good outlet for my feelings. In a nutshell, I love teaching. But it is not an easy job by any means! It has never been a 9-5 job for me. Long after I have told my students good-bye, I often find myself thinking about the children, trends in education, new laws, NCLB (No Child Left Behind)....
I love the following quote by Pablo Picasso - it is one that I try to keep in mind when I feel worn down by the difficulties of my job. The children I work with truly are marvels. I am lucky enough to have a job in which I am able to work to make the world worthy of its children.
"Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.” Pablo Picasso
I love the following quote by Pablo Picasso - it is one that I try to keep in mind when I feel worn down by the difficulties of my job. The children I work with truly are marvels. I am lucky enough to have a job in which I am able to work to make the world worthy of its children.
"Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.” Pablo Picasso
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