Slice of Life: I Wore My Sticker (Less Testing/More Learning)

SOL

(This is a post for Slice of Life, a weekly writing activity hosted by Two Writing Teachers in which bloggers examine the small moments of life for larger reflection.)

less testing

Yesterday, many teachers in our state of Massachusetts wore the sticker I am showing here in the picture. It’s part of a larger week-long effort by the Massachusetts Teachers Association to push back on the demands of standardized testing. The slogan of “Less Testing/More Learning” is an indication of the push, as our MCAS and now PARCC testing takes up more and more of classroom learning time — both in preparing students and in the actual taking of the tests.

I had a lot of students ask me about it, although one of my colleagues noted that our audience of students and teachers for the stickers we were wearing was rather insular — the schools in which we teach where exasperation with high-stakes testing already runs high.

But still, it was the notion of pulling together as a teaching community with a single message about caring for our students as learners in this age of data collection. And here I am, writing about it to an even larger audience.

Peace (and making it stick),
Kevin

 

8 Comments
  1. Beautiful sticker! I am with you!!! As for the “small” audience…all revolutions must start somewhere, right?!?!

  2. I agree with Michelle. Preaching starts with the choir, they’re the bravest because of their faith. This is great!

  3. I think that wearing that sticker was a positive message for your students and being able to explain your thinking to them lays the path for them to support their opinions with real reasons too. My niece and nephews go to school in MA and I know they would love more learning and less testing!

  4. One of the many reasons why I have lost my desire to go back to the classroom. Even as a writing interventionist, testing impacts my job way too much.

  5. How can I get one of those stickers? We have moved from one week to 4 weeks and that’s not even counting the benchmark tests. Ugh! I am so frustrated. What are we to do?!

  6. I like the pulling together of teachers for this movement. It is a worthy one. Wear that sticker with pride, Kevin.

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