On Saturday, February 23rd, I woke up much earlier than I intended to because of my excitement to march in the Save Texas Schools event. So much of what makes teaching my high school science students a challenge occurs in the Capitol. Although there a multitude of issues surrounding public education, what I looked forward to was marching to put an end to the newest, punitive high-stakes test, the STAAR and to demand that the $5.4 billion dollars that was cut from education be reinstated–with interest!
I arrived at the Austin-Statesman entrance on S. Congress about an hour early and there were already a throng of energetic people chanting, networking, and passing out colored circular stickers in order to get an official attendance tally. 
I felt empowered just being present. As I absorbed the moment, both taking pictures and observing the scene without a camera, I realized that I had not prepared any catchy signs.
Catacorner to where I stood was the Occupy AISD group. Since I had attended a couple of their meetings, I volunteered to hold one end of the banner, which called for an end to high-stakes testing, vouchers and charters.
The Kashmere marching band from Houston led the crowd to the Capitol.
I walked behind the Eastside Memorial marching band, but eventually, we slowed down in order not to be so crowded together so people could read our banner. Although we chanted a variety of things on our way to the Capitol, my favorite was “Education is a right! Not just for the rich and white!” That struck a cord with me on a few levels.
First of all, rich parents have the resources to provide their children with an excellent education. One where the classroom size is less than 35-40 students and the teachers are forced to narrow down what they are teaching in order to drill the things that are found on the standardized test.
Secondly, I would appreciate teaching at a school that has majority minority students that wasn’t run like a prison. Again, expectations should be that we’re preparing them to do a variety of things once they graduate from high school–not telling them in the middle of the school year that they can take a less rigorous academic “minimum plan” and receive a substandard diploma that no 4-year university recognizes.
Once we reached the Capitol, I listened to how a superintendent shook her fist in the face of the Texas Education Agency and refused anyone to administer STAAR. A former TEA chairman, Robert Scott said that he saw the tests spinning out of control and acknowledged that the drastic cuts had been made to the education budget at a time when schools were expected to reach even higher academic levels.
One thing the rally confirmed for me was that public schools are being purposely driven into the ground with the hopes of allowing corporate-run charters to come in and privatize schools to make even more money off the students, which brings to mind my second favorite chant: “Banks got bailed out. Schools got sold out!”
I even felt encouraged when Diane Ravitch predicted that since the high-stakes testing madness had begun in Texas, we’d be the ones to drive a stake in its heart.
I’m going to start gathering wood.
