This teacher was accustomed to teaching poor minority kids how to pass the tests. She was really good at it.
But she was shocked to discover that her own children’s school–in an affluent neighborhood in Brooklyn–had succumbed to the same pressures.
Testing, as she realized, had found her and her children. There was no escape. She concluded:
“As I reflect on why I was (am?) so shocked that testing had found me, I recognize that I honestly believed that my children were immune to high-stakes testing given our race and class privilege, and as much as I consider myself an educator for social justice, I was completely okay with that. That makes me feel dirty and ashamed. But we are not immune and our privilege can’t save us. It is here, it is everywhere, and if your kids are in the public schools, it seems you can’t hide from it. We can only fight back.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Yep, finally starting to see the inevitable backlash to educational malpractices that at one time only the poor districts had to buckle under. Since the before NCLB was instituted I’ve been trying to tell people that these educational malpractices will eventually hit the affluent. Now it has and now you’re starting to hear louder outcries from the privileged districts.
I’m glad they are finally speaking out! (a dozen years too late)
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The thing is that many Teachers still feel the same way. This has been going on for years now and only recently have Educators started to speak out and have their voices heard.
Many Teachers feel that the new evaluations will not effect them and they are probably correct- they may even be highly effective- but does that still make this process right? We have to think what is right for all, not just whether something effects us negatively or not. The common core, the Teacher evaluations, the “new reform” are wrong for Teachers and Students, we must take a stand!
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In the end, testing will be an equal opportunity destroyer of education. Our children will be able to bubble in correct answers or press the right keys on a computer. We are trading Pavlovian responses for real learning and authentic assessments. The only ones who will benefit are the companies who make the tests and the interests who see education as the last cash cow.
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This teacher sounds like a “real winner”.
So it’s okay for someone else’s kids, who are less fortunate than yours, to be tested to death, but because you have a much more elevated socio-economic status, you think it’s okay, almost expected, that your own children should not have to face testing in the same way.
Wow. This teacher, thank goodness, has shown some interior growth and lucid moments, bue she has also revealed how classist she is.
It seems that the oligarch’s attack on her children has facilitated some empathy on her behalf.
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Robert
The teacher was saying that HER CHILDREN’S TEACHERS WERE ALSO TEACHING A TEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I understood the article.
Did she think her kids’ teachers would not feel the same pressure just because her kids come equipped with more background knowledge, money, and oral language development? Or because her kids’ teachers were solid middle/upper middle class themselves? Or because the school’s population was generally of a higher socio-economic class?
Pressure under the critieria forced upon us is pressure.
She assumed these things because of class and ignored the politiics and how severe these oligarchs are.
I am not putting her down. . .she’s learned the hard way. . . she sounds moldable. All I’m saying is that indifference based on class – no matter what “class” you’re from is just as if not more destructive than what the ruling elite are doing to the majority.
Our solidarity, our radar, and our – to a greater extent – collectivism is what can prevent these injustices or push back against them . . .
If you are living in a tony Brownstone somewhere in Park Slop in Brooklyn, it still requires you to be aware of those living in dwellings one half to one tenth the cost, no? That awareness benefits everyone.
If the current gestalt of the United States does not change, we stand to revert back LA style rioting throughout the whole country.
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It’s also a lesson on how the upper middle class should always be looking out for the growth and sustainability of the middle and lower middle class. The prevalence of a super majority middle class is proof positive of a functional democracy. When it shrinks, the democracy is increasingly at risk.
Once we start making a certain income, we still need to be acutely aware of those below us. It’s my opinion that people in the United States are status conscious, but not class conscious. They don’t think about any class too much except the homeless or the rich and famous, and everyone in between is invisible. People here are also far too tolerant of class differences the minute they gain a deeper understanding of what “class difference” means in America . . .
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it has been made very clear as we go through the process that “highly effective” rating in not feasible in our district. We have been reminded that “effective” is acceptable and realistic. In fact, it has been suggested that too many “highly effective” ratings would look strange if the scores come in low on the state tests (and they surely will be) – NOT THAT I AM COMMENTING AT ALL HERE ON THE STATE TESTS. It seems that has been an underlying criteria in the APPR process. Wonder when we could / would ever tell our students that an A+ for them would not be reasonable to expect? Could I tell my students with all honesty that really a B/C is fine and all you need to strive for?
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“NOT THAT I AM COMMENTING AT ALL HERE ON THE STATE TESTS”
Well, you should be SCREAMING OUT LOUD just how insane the state tests are.
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Horrors! We have a FEED Market for the DEFORMERS.
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No one in Ohio, except privately schooled children have been immune from the insanity of testing. I have had students who moved into our district having never had ANY testing, but even with their backgrounds (which were generally insufficient) we were expected to get those kids caught up to the others in time for the test. Two years ago, I had one such boy in my class. He could not even speak in a way that most people could understand. We thought he had a hearing difficulty. No, he had a disorder with the coordination of his mouth and tongue. He was considered difficult to teach, slow, and had few friends. However, I was able to break through to him after having 3 years prior with little to no success. Finally, he learned to read aloud in a manner that he could be understood. Other kids started being more friendly with him. He passed the 4th grade tests. Thank goodness. But, there were OTHER students with many needs, too. Can a computer handle all of this? Private industry seems to think so.
My sons graduated in 2002 and 2004 before the idiocy became full-on. Thank heaven. They both took the Ohio Graduation Test in 8th grade and both passed it. They weren’t subjected to further testing, other than their college ACT tests and other exams. I teach in the same district. The students that graduated BEFORE all this testing were better students than the ones we have begun producing.
ALL public districts have had to deal with this garbage. And, no matter how well your school is doing, it has to keep on increasing that AYP score. There is no “leveling off” allowed. We spent much time getting the lower functioning students to the point of passing the tests and then AYP created the need to push even the advanced students higher and higher. However, this was to take place in the SAME classroom as the low functioning kids.
Stress was insurmountable. Why? Because of the fact that they kept changing the cut scores, the categories, the demands of the tests, with very little time to readjust. Constant readjusting plus trying to teach the regular curriculum was demanding a lot. Having 30 minute inservices by a curriculum director that talked too quickly to understand and leaving us with, “Sorry, this should have been a semester course, but this is all the time we can afford to give you. Now go figure it out on your own. Have it implemented within the next two weeks.”
We also have to prepare the students to use the computers for everything from practice games to writing essays to making PowerPoint presentations or Keynote Presentations, from second grade upward. The computers were often down or the site was off-line or the server was down. These glitches don’t make for smooth days of teaching.
My problem with this is that there is little time for actual mastery. If they “have to” use this testing process in order to achieve whatever it is that they are seeking, there should be no “grading and comparing” of districts, teachers or students until THEY know what THEY are doing. But, they do not.
Also, those who are creating all these online fantasy miracle cures for education have to be well aware that the computer software industry is going to continue to CHANGE its operating systems and there will continue to be constant and expensive upgrades. But, private industry is happy to pay for THAT, but they don’t care about the humans that are being shoved out of their jobs. Just watch that YouTube video “Did You Know?”
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Must have been a “Aha!” moment. NO ONE out swims a tsunami, and that is exactly a perfect analogy for what is sinking the educational system in this country. NO ONE WILL ESCAPE ITS RAVAGES!
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The teacher described here is someone that I know personally, and I respect the risks she takes when writing about her experiences and imperfections. While I am interested in engaging here with many here who seem to be similarly moved by this posting, I would also like to respond to those who may be quick to condemn by sharing that the worst thing for gathering momentum as a movement is to judge and exclude.
What I think that she acknowledges that it is messed up that she did not see it coming, she is stating that she does have some degree of privilege and that these are across the board narrow educational reforms.
I think now is the moment to resist together. We cannot afford to sit and judge one another or others’ thoughts/actions when we really have so many areas to work.
For example, we need to make some noise about the data that is being sold, and shared with corporations about public school children. The following was put together by a fellow public school parent.
In many states, children’s educational records have already been sold and handed over to private corporations. This is NOT anonymous data for the purpose of statistical data collection and interpretation. The information includes children’s names, attendance records, disciplinary records, grades and test scores, IEP information (if a child receives any special services), contact information, and all other personal information and includes student data dating back to 1996. It does not, apparently, include their social security number. We knew this was a possibility but it wasn’t until this week that we learned it has already happened, the data has already been migrated to InBloom, a company supported by the Gates Foundation.
Class Size Matters has a useful site with contact information for local representatives. Please tell your local representatives that you support Bill A6509. Spread the word, since most parents do not know about this. Forward this info to anyone you feel would be interested.
Links are here. Info on recent meeting of Parents with the DOE: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/04/inbloom_data_student.php
And
https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-04-30-nyc-parents-raise-questions-about-inbloom
On the student privacy bill: http://www.classsizematters.org/about-the-student-privacy-bill/
Bill No A06059: http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=A06059&term=2013&Summary=Y&Text=Y
And S04284http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2013&bn=S04284
Info on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
FERPA: https://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
Update on bill: http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2013/03/update-our-privacy-bill-with-more.html
Also from Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/13/lawsuit-charges-ed-department-with-violating-student-privacy-rights/
And Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/03/us-education-database-idUSBRE92204W20130303
Please spread the word and engage in the work of resistance.
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You’re right. . . . I retract my sardonic tone, but not my premise. There was a more constructive way of expressing it, and I unwittingly did not choose that path.
Sincere apologies are offered, and thank you for the links that can help us all be more united and engaged in this battle to preserve education as a public trust and to focus on it the right way for children.
Solidarity is far more important. . .always.
Thank you for your response!
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Of course not, only the special “elites” get to avoid testing. You’re not on their level. Until you are, your child will be tested!!!!!
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