Katherine Sokolowski has written a post you will enjoy, about her teaching and her students.

 

It begins like this:

 

 

I opened up Word to write a blog post about Pearson, CCSS, and PARCC. After two days of learning about the test administration, I typed around three hundred words of frustration about these bleeping mandates that are taking away teaching time from me.

 

And then, I hit delete.

 

Because, truly, everyone can likely guess how I feel about them anyway. And while it irritates me to no end that I have to give five tests to my students in March – and three in May – they haven’t changed what happens in the four walls of my classroom on a daily basis. Because in my classroom…

 

I still work hard to teach children to treasure books.
I work to make my students understand that their writing is a gift.
I try to impress upon my kids that being a good person is vital.
I pour love into every child who comes in my room.
Every day.
And I pray that every child will see their value by the time they leave.

 

PARCC, Pearson, CCSS, and any other crazy acronym or corporation that comes along can’t change that,
And they really haven’t changed my teaching.

 

I know what is important.
I see it in seventy-seven beautiful faces
Every
Single
Day.