The state of education in the United States is in poor shape. Why? We are one of the richest countries in the world. Millions of dollars has been spent on education. Why is it that our students are performing substandard? Laws have been made to ensure students get a quality education. National Standards have been written for each curriculum area. Districts have adopted curriculums to better their students. Teachers attend workshops and conferences to better themselves. So why is it not working?
I have an idea. It revolves around the importance we put on testing. In many states, whether or not a student moves on to the next grade is contingent upon how they do on one test. In the case of the state of North Carolina, that test is a multiple choice test. The most important skill needed to pass the test is the stamina to read for three hours. Stamina that is developmentally difficult for adolescents, especially those with ADHD. The skills I teach on a daily basis cannot be tested if they lose their focus after an hour. I have been told I need to build their stamina. It is difficult to build stamina when I can barely get them to read on their own.
I was called into the principal’s office today to look at the data from the Reading quarterly assessments. I like data. It is a way for me to see how I am doing in the classroom. A way to discover if the students are comprehending what I am teaching. What I don’t like is my class of EC students being compared to students in higher-level classes. In our current state of education, students need to all fit into a cookie cutter system in order to succeed educationally. Therefore, we as teachers are told we need to teach to the test. Teach them stamina to read longer passages. Teach them how to take multiple choice tests. Teach them test-taking strategies. Life does not work that way. The majority of us learn by getting involved with something of interest to us.
Nowhere are we told to teach them how to be contributing members of society. Students are always asking us, “When will we ever use this in the real world?” I would like to ask the same question to those making the rules about testing - When will tests ever be so high stakes in the real world?
In a generation of instant gratification, schools as they are run today, do not meet the needs of the students. Reading has no flash, music, or color. There is no argument that it is imparetive that knowing how to read will better one’s life. However, in a world of the instant access, I believe it is important for us to teach the students of today how to use the material at hand. Rather than focus on how to read to take a test, why not put the focus on using their skill of reading to do something to better the world around them. The possibilities are limitless. I am willing to bet, if we give students the opportunity to speak up, they will not let us down, but rather put their reading skills to work, do the research (and higher level thinking) before coming up with something worthwhile and relevant to the world around them, be it their family, school, or community at large.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!!
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