Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. And I DO appreciate teachers! Where would we be without them?
This week, at least in our school, there is standardized testing. I hate it. I know it’s necessary. And in some way, it’s probably preparing my child for the tests he’s going to have to take for the rest of his life (fair or unfair as that may be). This testing is taking place over 4 days (for some of the older grades it is longer). It is the first time he is being exposed to an “important” test. His teacher has prepared her class as best she can for this. (Although I know this is necessary, I really wish she didn’t have to do this. I think her time would be much better spent “teaching” and not preparing them for testing. That’s not a dig on her or any other teacher. It has to be done. I understand that. But what teacher out there got into the profession so that they could prep kids for a test?) Still it is a stressful time for all involved.
It’s stressful for my son. He doesn’t need that. He’s the kind of kid that stresses easily. (Probably my fault…I stress easy too.) He’s also one of the youngest in his class and at this stage in his life, that shows in his emotional maturity. I hate to see him get stressed out over a test that, in my opinion, really doesn’t mean much.
It’s stressful for my husband and I. Although we know we can’t provide a stress free life for our child, we try to keep everything on an even keel. But the impending test played on his mind and over the last week we had some family talks with tears. All over this silly test.
And I know it’s stressful for his teacher. I know how much she cares for her kids. And again, I don’t think this is why she went into the profession of teaching. I’m thinking she’d rather be teaching than “testing”. I think she’d rather let her kids be kids than a row of desks with number two pencils in hand.
They’ve got one day down now, and three more to go. I know my son and his classmates will make it through and that next week things will be back to “normal” (if there is such a thing as “normal ” in elementary school). And that next week his teacher can get back to what she does best, teaching her kids. Not testing…teaching.
Because this week the teachers (at least at our school) are NOT doing what they do best, makes me appreciate them all the more. And grateful that for the rest of the school year they are there to teach.
This post is reprinted from “Bfth’s Boring Blog”, written by life-long Verona resident Beth Shorten. You can read all of Shorten’s posts here.
