Do you ever stop, right in the middle of what you are doing, and ask yourself where you are? It seems after a few years of teaching, one year starts to blend into the next year. You have photos of classes you can’t quite place the year on, you have memories of lessons that happened, but aren’t sure which year that was. Time rolls on… One day, you look back and realize where all you have been, and ask yourself, how did I get here?
This year, I’m finishing up my 3rd class in my doctoral studies. I foolishly thought I’d just go take some classes, write a paper, and get a degree. I was wrong. It’s making me question everything. I’m more skeptical. I’m more thoughtful about the things I am planning in class. I’m even more reflective. Above all, I’m more realistic. I’m looking at the entire system of education in America. A step back, and one look, and I’m asking… how did we get here?
I’m seeing the gaping holes in our educational system that once were hidden behind flashy, packaged programs that caught my eye. The holes and the issues have now been highlighted with a bright bold mark that catches my eye at every glance.I don’t want to see flashy programs anymore. I don’t want to hear about gimmicks that will “increase test scores.” Just today I received an email about student assembly programs that are “guaranteed to raise scores.” How did we ever get to a place where a school-wide assembly was needed to boost test scores?
I guess, in the end, it doesn’t matter as much as how America got here. What matters know is that we know where we are going. I say anywhere but here.
Edited to Add: On the same day I read an email with an invite to a testing assembly, I stumbled upon this video on Twitter. Regardless of where we need to go, the video speaks volumes as to WHY we are here.
