From an academic standpoint, this past week was pretty much devoid of academic rigor, thanks to the latest round of standardized testing. The normal school schedule was drastically changed in order to accomodate the freshmen and sophomores taking the writing portion of the STAAR. The students who weren’t testing, participated in either a TAKS camp (the old standardized test) or a STAAR (the new standardized test) camp. We teachers were also divided up into test proctors, TAKS camp tutors and STAAR camp tutors.
I’m glad they referred to it as “camp” since every morning, I felt as if I were huffing it out to a concentration camp when I carried materials to the portables. For three days in a row, it rained, making things even more dreary in the concentration camps. Although I didn’t have to prepare any of the materials, not being in my own classroom, with my own students was more draining than carrying all those materials every morning and afternoon.
Now after living through a week of hell, I’m going to face a week of trying to get my classes back on track to finish up a major project, drill the juniors (and some seniors who still haven’t passed the science TAKS) for their upcoming standardized tests and a get a new batch of advisees to tutor Physics. Just to add to the humor, the science department has started a new thing of reviewing “best teaching practices,” as if April is the ideal time to do so rather than, say, August.
At least two things make me hopeful: even my most immature students are stepping up to the plate and the state government may help alleviate testing hell weeks by reducing the number of standardized tests from 15 to 5.
What drives me to go into work early tomorrow morning (Monday) is a crazy belief that somehow, if I get everything organized for my students, then perhaps I can spare them most of the craziness that otherwise jips them from having the first class education that they should be guaranteed by being citizens of one of the most powerful countries in the world.
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