Every year I hear the same discussions going on between colleagues, our campus administration, our district administration, and even in my own head. The conversation about standards. Regardless of what standards your state, school, or course may fall under, the reality of the situation is that the standards matter--even the ones that are poorly written or poorly aligned.
I can hear the resounding "This woman is crazy!" coming from the masses, so stay with me for a second. Can you imagine what public education would be like if every teacher was dedicated to the same task, dedicated to monitoring and encouraging the progress of EACH learner, and actually stayed on some semblance of the same page as the rest of their team, department, and/or campus? No? Me neither. That land resides somewhere over the rainbow!
Well, if we all could get on board with teaching the standards that are outlined for us, we could get so much closer to this Oz-like land where all we had to do to get rid of our Wicked Witches is toss a bucket of water (if only it were that easy...ha!).
I hear all of the rumbling every year about how "We've always taught ____" or "The kids really enjoy ___" or even "The standards are crap, so I don't think I have to teach them." Regardless of the current mindset that exists amongst my colleagues, the fact of the matter is, the standards create an even playing field. If every teacher in every grade level monitored the individual progress of each learner based on these standards, we would never have a child left behind. We would never have a child reach high school unable to read. We would never have a child reach high school unable to communicate effectively. We would never have a child unable to balance a check book or maintain a budget.
Now, I don't mean to make this sound like all teachers have this attitude. Any teacher knows this is not the case. However, teachers are just like the learners. You get one bad apple. One teacher with a bad attitude. One teacher who refuses to get on board. And slowly that bad attitude, that maverick spirit, is infecting everything. And within a year you have at least two mavericks and at least 150 learners no longer anywhere near the same ballpark as the rest of the crowd.
A certain amount of maverick spirit-you know the kind that pushes the kids beyond the standards-is good. We should harness that kind of reckless abandon. The kind where the bar is raised, learners are held to high standards, and we guarantee that our lesson design leaves no child from reaching the minimum standard. However, the maverick spirit where the standards are thrown out the window and you do what you want because you think you know better, that has got to go.
Too often we, as educators, can't separate the standards from the testing. I hate the testing. I hate everything about the testing. I hate for my sophomore in high school. I hate it for my kindergartner. And, I already hate the idea of it for my 11 month old. But, the testing and the standards are not one and the same. They are two very different things. So, if I'm talking to you, take off the pointy hat and nose. If I'm talking to a colleague of yours, toss the bucket of water and help bring him/her back to reality. Then, join me over the rainbow where we all can agree that we must have standards.
We must guarantee that each child makes progress in each standard each year. We must ensure that every child plays on the same playing field as their peers. Some need an extra coach or an extra practice, but they all should be on the same field together.
