There is something I want to say about these "Slam The Exam!" and "Rock That Test!" rallies.
It is stupid to put children into uniforms and have them chant slogans about "slamming" and "rocking" the test.
Yes, I know people have pep rallies for all kinds of things, from sports to politics, but there are few things more demoralizing and dehumanizing than having kids physically act out how they are going to "rock that test!"
Seriously, do you think Obama's kids are chanting this kind of crap at Sidwell Friends School?
Or John King's kids at their Montessiori school?
The fetishization of high stakes testing, from the way the politicians and the "education leaders" talk about it to the way outfits like Gotham Schools cover it, really needs to stop.
Well said.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. They had one at my daughter's suburban middle school on Friday (she is refusing the test, as is my 4th grader)and I felt it was creepy when she told me about it. When my work school followed suit, I stood on the sidelines and it, frankly, made me almost sick to watch this attempt to put a positive spin on something so destructive.
ReplyDeleteThe whole testing cult is creepy. It reminds me of the Nazi propaganda rallies.
ReplyDeleteA German saying: "Vom Wiegen wird die Sau nicht fett".
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