Tonight as my sister and I talked on the phone, we both expressed our concern that the students we teach don't know some of the things we knew growing up in public schools. I was appalled that my 5th graders didn't know the "black national anthem" (Lift Every Voice and Sing by James Weldon Johnson). She was shocked that an 8th grader she spoke with was unfamiliar with the name, much less the works of, Maya Angelou.
We both concluded that we cannot fault the children. They don't know what they don't know. But in this testing era, in the education reform era, in these troubling times, I blame the adults! In particular many politicians and business leaders who are leading the charge to reform education by attempting to relegate the love, art, and science of teaching to simply "test prepping".
It's a shame that it'll take a few rebellious teachers to, oh I don't know, ignore this whole test prep nonsense and teach!
We both also decided that we will teach both the negro national anthem (I don't care about political correctness) and the works of Maya Angelou, whether such will be tested or not!
"Test Prep" - a whole post in and of itself!
Some call me "Flem"
- Dr. Stephen R. Flemming
- I'm an elementary school teacher turned high school English teacher, School-Based Teacher Leader (SBTL), and adjunct professor here in Philly. These posts are the views, as I see them, from room 105, my first classroom number. Enjoy, engage, and share!
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