Support the Teachers of Seattle

January 12, 2013 //

The teachers of Seattle ask that you sign this petition to support them.

Please be careful when you go to change.org and do NOT sign any other petition as you may be duped into becoming a member of StudentsFirst.

Categories Teachers and Teaching, Testing, Washington State

9 Comments Post your own or leave a trackback: Trackback URL

Lehrer says:

January 12, 2013 at 7:40 am

Don’t forget to “share” so the word spreads.

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chemtchr says:

January 12, 2013 at 9:04 am

Here is an excellent local Seattle news report, presenting the teachers themselves speaking about their decision.
http://www.king5.com/news/education/Garfield-High-School-teachers-boycott-MAP-test-186401601.html

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- pathfinder says:
  
  January 13, 2013 at 12:48 am
  
  A few years ago at a Christmass assembly in our historic auditorium a few of my less than stellar math students were singing with the voices of angels as part of the choir presentation. It brought tears to my eyes thinking how gifted our students are, and how we give them so little time and opportunity (we had a choir club then) to express their talents and interests in non academic areas. To be able say to Nancy the next day, “That was a beautiful song you sang for us yesterday at the assembly” , is to subtlety say to her that you are grateful for her presence and she brings joy into your life, that she is liked and appreciated, and she is an important member of our community regardless of how much Algebra she can remember on an “exit” exam .
  Are we as a society today putting so much pressure on our students (starting in elementary school) for them to score high on a one day exam, and then perhaps labeling them as “far below basic”,when in fact many may be the kindest and most helpful members of our society. And others as “proficient”, where some have spent so much their time under this pressure ( also on teachers) studying in such a narrow field of academia, that they cannot relate to others, fell left out and hated, and express their felt dejection in “horrific” ways.
  
  Be It Resolved: That you will attend some out of class activities your students are involved in. Thereby seeing them in a new light, and allowing your students seeing you as taking an interest in them, and this will lead to them taking more interest in what you have to say in class. Share with them the joys an sorrows of winning and losing a game, then at their 10 year… 20 year…reunion they won’t remember the “secret formula” they struggled with in your class, but will remember how you helped them with some of the problems they faced during the short time while in your classes.(e, g. “My mother was murdered by her boy friend last week.”)
  
  Also Resolved: To improve my “Art of Teaching” by finding ideas for ways to present concepts in an interesting and motivational way by researching and asking and listening.(e.g. see attachment)
  
  PS: written in my attempt to understand the tragic events at an elementary school yesterday back east
  
  Reply
  - Lehrer says:
    
    January 13, 2013 at 4:35 am
    
    That is one of the reasons I enjoy recess duty (yes, my second-graders are still lucky enough to have it 30 minutes a day), despite the cold and the snow or the heat and humidity. For thirty minutes I get to interact with my students in very different way. Just observing how they play and with whom they play gives me more information than I would ever get on an assessment.
Lori Jablonski says:

January 12, 2013 at 12:22 pm

For those like me who won’t sign anything carried by change.org, the teachers have a facebook page which can be easily shared:

https://www.facebook.com/SolidarityWithGarfieldHighSchoolTestingBoycott

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jim says:

January 12, 2013 at 3:35 pm

Here is an in depth evaluation of nwea and map testing http://www.conceptualmath.org/misc/testsupport.htm

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RL says:

January 13, 2013 at 9:08 am

Done.

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Hester says:

January 17, 2013 at 2:25 pm

I support your courage, from one teacher to another….I salute you!

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Karl says:

January 20, 2013 at 3:56 pm

MAP testing is sold on the invalid idea that all students learn information in the same order. Any education administrator worth his degree should recognize that this assumption is false. Even worse, NWEA’s own RIT manual shows that MAP testing actually tends to lower the performance of high achievers. If a school subjected my child to a system based on invalid assumptions known to actually lower performance, I would be livid enough to demand explanations from administrators! http://conceptualmath.org/misc/MAPtest.htm

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