"The fact that teachers aren't accountable to anyone is the problem."
Apparently, I'm not accountable to anyone. Wow! I wish I had known this before. If I had, I'm sure my stress level would be at a nice cruising altitude.
I was under what must be a mistaken impression that I was accountable to my government, state, county, district, and school. Not to mention, accountable to my students.
The federal government, thanks to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and now to Race to the Top (RTTT), puts an emphasis and judges a teacher on the test scores of his or her students. Test scores that have no importance to the students because it doesn't allow or disallow them from graduation.
You mean this test that takes days and hours doesn't really matter to me? Oh! Of course, I'll try my hardest Miss B so that your "merit" as a teacher can be judged accurately.
That's what all students think when they take these state-mandated tests, right? They all get a good night's rest, eat a proper breakfast, and were paying attention all year and the years before that. Or if they didn't, it doesn't really matter because those things would never have any bearing on how well a student does on a test. Nor would their socio-economic status or ability to speak English.
I'm so glad that I'm not accountable to anyone. It's always good to know you work so hard for nothing.
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As a coach, I find that attitude frustrating as well. You do your best, but there comes a time when you have to step back and let the kid perform. (And at least my kids WANT to be out there and doing their best, but still...)
ReplyDeleteYes, but even with a performance there is a goal that can be reached for that performer. With the tests, there is no goal that makes a difference to the student.
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