admin rant

I think the new name for administrators should be fun-killers. It's as though they are so concerned with covering their asses by dotting every i and crossing every t that they forget about the reason we are there: the kids. Today I let a student have a birthday party in my room during Friday free time and --because the student had a list of people she wanted to be there- this administrator took that as meaning it was an "exclusive party." She told me it was unacceptable, because we're trying to create "a welcoming environment." If you knew this person, you would understand why this is so ironic. She is one of the most hard-nosed, cold, non-caring, non-compassionate, non-empathetic people I have ever met. Until recently, she didn't say "good morning" back to her staff who said good morning to her. She only started responding when someone told her that replying to the people who work for her --who give their heart and soul to the students at her school for about half her salary- would be a nice gesture. Have any of us ever gotten a "great job" or a "keep up the good work..." Not that I've seen. Way to create a welcoming environment for the staff, seriously. A content batch of teachers makes for better teaching. We're not asking for diamonds and pearls. Maybe a note in our mailbox every once in awhile letting us know if we're doing a good job or if we've improved. It's not rocket science. So what am I going to do? I'm going to actually make the encouraging notes for her and suggest she use them. Stay tuned...

more on testing...

I could not loathe standardized testing anymore than I do right now. It's as if schools are operating with the mentality that the goal is to squash all individuality and creativity as young as possible. Children do not all learn the same way- why should we test them all the same way? It's not rocket science. Our "high stakes test" is tomorrow and we have to cover everything in the halls and the classrooms with butcher paper. We have to take the clocks off the walls. We even have to take the alphabet off of the wall. Heaven forbid a student see how to write a cursive a, b, c, or d... that may give them an unfair advantage. And curse the teacher who leaves an encouraging poster within view. We don't want those kids feeling good about themselves. And bringing your own snacks or even water? Forget about it. One of our administrators actually told us the risk was too great that the water could spill on one of the precious standardized tests to warrant letting students bring water. In bottles. And bringing your own snacks? Don't even think about it. You will eat what we give you. If you don't like it, tough. Wouldn't it make more sense -for the students and the schools who value these scores so much-- to ensure that students are as physically comfortable and satiated as possible while taking these tests? For the next two days, I have to administer these tests that I disagree so strongly with. I am forced to read from a script the State has given me. I may not defer from these words. Wow. Is this really America in 2010? After all we've learned about multiple intelligences and the value of creativity? Is this really the same society that claims to value "thinking outside of the box"? Could've fooled me.