The Lunacy of it All
Nestled in a rump conforming chair, I ponder the relevance of proficiency testing. Gazing the field of studious minds set before me, undertaking the arduous "hoop leaping" of an objective test, sanity beckons at my pedigogical heart of the validity of such exercises.
Surely we teach in order to equip those in our charge for the task at hand. Is that not the essance of education? Yet, it appears what we teach is the fine art of multiple choice savvyness at the expense of content at the core of the subject matter.
What happened to kinesthetic displays of knowledge? Where is the visual and oral expressions of proficiency? Has extinction strangled them in its icy grasp? I
I am contracted to give my students what they need to become effective teachers, by the federal, state, and local standards, howevr, I am bound by the chanins I am commissioned to destroy. They are woven about myself and my students by the ones protesting "No child left behind."
Oh the hypocracy of it all! It torments my pedigogical soul. So what must I do? Surely if life was perfect, there would be no need for rebels such as I. No, I and those with synnonomous passions were born for such a time. The challenge is set before us, we must not give in to a seemingly hopeless circumstance. Too many great educators have been wounded by those fiery arrows. This is just where we should be, scaling the mountain of reform, crossing the black slimy sloughs of despondency, making a way for ability driven education to exist.
I am encouraged as once again I look out on the band of students that have been placed in my care. Hope, they are hope,they are the ones with the power and determination to change things. They are bright, clever, and have the courage to go where other professions dare not tread....the heart of another hungry soul. True teaching is not a sterile entity or career, it is a calling, mission, and quest. I see in my students amazement and wonder....they are our hope...
Perhaps my job isn't just to teach them Educational Psychology, perhaps my calling is to teach them how to climb.
Ever and Always
Beth
Surely we teach in order to equip those in our charge for the task at hand. Is that not the essance of education? Yet, it appears what we teach is the fine art of multiple choice savvyness at the expense of content at the core of the subject matter.
What happened to kinesthetic displays of knowledge? Where is the visual and oral expressions of proficiency? Has extinction strangled them in its icy grasp? I
I am contracted to give my students what they need to become effective teachers, by the federal, state, and local standards, howevr, I am bound by the chanins I am commissioned to destroy. They are woven about myself and my students by the ones protesting "No child left behind."
Oh the hypocracy of it all! It torments my pedigogical soul. So what must I do? Surely if life was perfect, there would be no need for rebels such as I. No, I and those with synnonomous passions were born for such a time. The challenge is set before us, we must not give in to a seemingly hopeless circumstance. Too many great educators have been wounded by those fiery arrows. This is just where we should be, scaling the mountain of reform, crossing the black slimy sloughs of despondency, making a way for ability driven education to exist.
I am encouraged as once again I look out on the band of students that have been placed in my care. Hope, they are hope,they are the ones with the power and determination to change things. They are bright, clever, and have the courage to go where other professions dare not tread....the heart of another hungry soul. True teaching is not a sterile entity or career, it is a calling, mission, and quest. I see in my students amazement and wonder....they are our hope...
Perhaps my job isn't just to teach them Educational Psychology, perhaps my calling is to teach them how to climb.
Ever and Always
Beth
posted by beth at 8:38 AM
1 Comments:
Your students are very fortunate to have a teacher and mentor with a heart for educating. As you well know, the educational system as set forth by federal, state, and local authorities are mired in politics. And when politics and partisan philosophy dictate the educational process, the results are self evident.
It is presicely that hungry soul that determines how much a student will learn. You are there to lead the charge but they must follow of their own volition. Carpe Diem! lol
We missed you this thursday! Hope to see you soon.
Tony
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