I went to Penn State this weekend to visit my friend lexy and participate in their yearly State Paddies Day shenanigans. On the way up me and one of my best friends, Fritz, stopped at McDonalds for dinner. As we sat there chowing down on copious amounts of greasy goodness, Fritz said "You know what's comforting, the fact that I can eat at a Mcdonalds in PA, California or China and my food will taste the same." I had never thought of this before, or at least I had never truly thought about it. Mcdonalds, despite any personal views you may have on them based on animal rights, health concerns or product quality, has mastered continuity and consistency.
And this, is the perfect analogy for the current education system. In fact, it ha been the goal and the aim of education for years. In the industrial revolution schools naturally adapted to the factory system. Increments of work, lunch break, bells, asking superiors permission to use the bathroom, all of it was meant to prepare individuals for a factory job. Today, our aims are a bit higher, but not really any more noble. We strive higher education and rigorous standards, and we implement things like standardized tests tell us where our students are collectively and how well they are being taught by professionals.
The problem of course is unlike industry, this is not a field that can be controlled with standards and testing, because we deal with different raw materials. McDonalds has mastered their burger because they figured out a way to put the same product everywhere. Every McDonalds starts with the same burger and fries. They brew the same coffee and they wear the same uniform. However it is completely unrealistic to believe that this sort of continuity can be obtained in districts 5 miles apart let alone within the walls of the same school. I am increasingly shocked at how different my students are. In good ways and bad ways. For instance things like "levels" are a myth. There is no "8th grade" reading or writing level. I have kids who can write a 5 source research paper in a couple days and I have kids that can barely write an introduction paragraph. I have kids who can read a classroom novel in 2 days and others that need 4 weeks. Here's the thing, they both matter. They both need affirmation. ANd they are both capable of learning.
The AYP judges kids based on where they should be and also on growth of every student. Growth is a wonderful thing, we should embrace it and celebrate it. What is concerning is the emphasis grade level standards. Because some kids can't meet those standards, not in a year. They aren't lazy, or stupid or retarded, they just are on a different level. But they deserve to be affirmed for their accomplishments just the same. Because the more I see, the more I am convinced that self-efficacy is most of the battle. If kids believe they are going to fail, they will. If you make them believe they will succeed then get ready.
This gets us into a whole different topic, grades. I'm an easy grader, and I don't grade things often. A lot of students don't like that. Our factory system has taught them that grades equal pay check, would you go into work and do things if you weren't getting paid? Not if you worked in a factory. Now if you worked in a field that you loved, that fulfilled you, you just might. This is what I strive for with English. I want it to be a reaffirming exoerience every time a student reads a novel or writes a paper. Grades sometimes hinder that though. You see often grades are a ranking. So if the smartest kid gets an A+ on a paper, than naturally everyone else will get below that right? Now what about the kid who entered the class and had never written more than an intro? What if he turns in a 3 page paper? COmpared to my A+ student that paper's probably about a C-. But compared to his previous work? Well compared to that he just did more than he ever has in his life, and he did it well. So what do I give him?
All A's would be awesome. Effort=grades and if you waste your talent, then your wasting my time and I'm not going to grade it. Give it back to me when you did your best and you'll get the best I can give you. Sweet philosophy huh? Linda Christenson, a teacher from Portland Oregon, works in some f the worst districts, and she has that policy. In inner city it's awesome, because it brings out the best. In fact, Id argue it brings out the best in anyone. But would it work in more affluent districts? Districts with high taxes and competitive academics? Districts where parents actually look at report cards and call the principal everytime they feel their kid is being cheated? You see we're not Mcdonalds, our raw materials aren't the same; the people who recognize that often don't feel comfortable with prime rib getting the same recognition as a quarter pounder.
This a tricky issue, and as you can see I don't have a concrete solution. I'm not at all suggesting that we should keep standards low and reward kids for low achievement. What I am saying is that affirming kids for what they are capable of and then challenging, and expecting them to improve is the only standard I need to adhere to. And if the people making laws recognized that, I don't think we'd even need standardized tests. No one wants to under achieve, they just don't know how to get to the top of a ladder with missing rungs.
No comments:
Post a Comment