What was the special occasion for which we were to encourage our children?
Was it learning more material? No...
Was it doing something that would benefit themselves? No...
It was Connecticut Mastery Test week. This means that all the kids in town take a standardized test, and if they do well the district looks good.
I wasn't too thrilled about the school emphasizing this in a way they hadn't anything else, including things perhaps more important, such as learning.
So, I was asked to provide slogans, but I wasn't explicitly told what I could and couldn't use. So, I thought that as long as we were focused on the collective good, why not go to the professionals, and I modified revolutionary slogans developed in the Soviet Union back in the day.
So, Monday morning all the other kids had notes on their lockers telling them that their parents were proud of them, and calling on them to do their best. In contrast, here's a picture of Floyd's locker.
7 comments:
Brad, I'm going to use some academic nomenclature here in order to appropriately convey what I feel about your post: "That was so stinkin awesome!"
My 2nd and 6th graders are in Clovis Unified, the standardized testing capital of the world. There isn't a subject that the students aren't tested on, tracked by class and school, and then rewarded for (only if the succeed). During standardized testing week a sheet of instructions is sent home to parents RE: sleeping and eating habits that will improve the student's test performance. It mightn't bother me so much if I actually thought they cared about student learning, but it really comes down to school and district ranking (and hence, funding).
My 6th grader is just starting to figure this out. He entered the science fair competition and at the awards ceremony was given a "participation" ribbon. It didn't even have his name written on it. His spirit just fell as they made a bigger and bigger deal about the successive winners until they got to sweepstakes with all kinds of photos, presentations and applause. He was teary-eyed on the drive home. We had a good talk and I explained that for the rest of his student-life in this school district he would see all of the "winners" getting all of the attention. It was a pretty tough moment. The teachers are doing a wonderful job with my children. It's the damn system that cripples them for life and consistently tries to cram a square peg into a round hole. -Tim
As one who regularly serves up the opiate of the masses, I loved your patriotic call for a well trained, as opposed to a well educated, proletariat.
Ah the Borg are still present: Resistance is Futile! The joys of school districts and their yearly panic. Having had 4 sons who have gone through this was, well Futile. I have assimilated.
Tim, the situation in Clovis sounds petty bad... though I can't say that I'm surprised. Here in Mansfield it isn't nearly that bad, which is why I was kind of put out when I saw it.
Assimilated proletariat?
At least you will know what Floyd is going to be in therapy for. : )
Yes, I'm afraid both of our sons will need therapy with me as their Dad. :-)
The audacity of modified "Red" propaganda is frankly, perfect!
Down here in Wake County North Carolina (Raleigh) the schools send the same sort of parental instruction and requests for encouragement during test week. And all the pretty schools get banners for their "achievement" regardless of what the actual test results are.
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