First Day Back

Today was my first day back at the elementary school, and  I was more than ecstatic to see the little kiddos. I missed them so much after a two and a half month hiatus consisting of holidays, training, and competitions. I was expecting a little bit more interaction with the entire class  in each period (I teach sixth grade and they switch classes so I have 2 classes that I stay with for the full time and 1 class that I stay with for half the time due to my lunch break and the rest of the school day), however, it was more of a one-on-one with the kids who did not finish their classwork that was assigned two weeks ago(!). 

I took the kids who didn't finish their classwork to the ZAPP lab (not sure why it's named that) where there was a fairly strict fill-in teacher who I happened to bond with. She made my job so much easier since the kids were constantly working and we were able to talk about teaching and the various enjoyments of it. 

In first period, there was a student who had missed quite a bit of school and had fallen very behind in his work. I was able to do a one-on-one tutoring with him and it really opened my eyes. These kids are being tested so much that their learning is almost robotic. They're given information, told to memorize it, and given a test in every stinking subject. In my one semester of observation, I've seen so much of this robotic "learning" and it was only until today that I realized how terrible it is. The child I was working with is so bright! He's got a great mind and he knows so much about the world. However, with the stringent education guidelines and constant assessments, the child isn't able to learn what he wants to learn. Here is a child who is so intelligent and has such great potential but he's being held back in his education because he can't reach the stupid state guidelines? Just because he can't seem to grasp what the state wants him to grasp does not mean he isn't able to further his education to the next grade level. All students have their weaknesses and strengths, but the state cannot hold them all back.

These tests are ridiculous. Like Albert Einstein said, "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." That's what these students believe.