One of my most cringe-worthy occurrences as a teacher is
when a student simply asks, “Is this for a grade?”
In response, I usually maneuver by the honest inquiry with
an ungraceful pirouette. I intend my reply to contain a powerful message about
authentic learning and intrinsic motivation, but this is usually masked by a
number of “uhhs” and “umms”.
So why do students ask this question and why do I have such
a difficult time answering it?
When the school system, teacher, and the parent all hold
vastly different visions for the child’s learning, the result is an innocent
cry for clarity.
I created a word cloud using the text from all of my blog
posts to attempt to understand my own vision better.
I think the largest words (most popular) from my blog’s
representation would be replaced by the state and nation’s vision with words
like, assess, compete, and knowledge. I highly doubt that the students and God
would be at the center of their vision.
With the K-12 education being a $500 billion industry, it
would be impossible to maintain a common vision.
Yong Zhao, a professor at the
University of Oregon summed up the priorities of America’s public education by
saying, “By imposing upon schools and teachers unrealistic, meaningless, and
arbitrary goals, high-stakes testing has corrupted the spirit of American
education, intoxicated the education environment, and demoralized educators. By
forcing schools and teachers to teach to the test, it has narrowed the
educational experiences of millions of children and thus deprived our children,
especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, of a real education. It has
wasted valuable, precious, and dwindling public funds that could have been put
into educating rather than testing our children.”
I’m envious of schools like Anastasis Academy (www.anastasisacademy.com), where
students are fed confidence and clarity while inhabiting a passion for
learning. When a school can simply be stripped down to the students, their
talents and interests, and the community’s resources around them, these kids are
valued as a major contributor to their community and society. The way public
education is currently run, is rapidly convincing citizens to view schools and
students as a burden. How sad.
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