I’m not enjoying teaching as much as I once did.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love working with young people. I still think my job is valuable and important.
Unfortunately, the testing mandate has arrived in my classroom. My students must pass a Biology End-of-Course (EOC) Exam to graduate from high school in Washington state.
Before it came, I naively thought it wouldn’t affect me. Get them engaged, allow them space to explore and learn, have fun with biology, and the test will take care of itself. Unfortunately, the stakes for my students and my school are too high. Soon, my job may depend on these test results.
I have become a standards-driven, assessment focused teacher and it sucks. Sure I still avoid textbooks and worksheets like the plague. Yes, I still strive to bring hands-on, engaging, real-world learning to my students.
Still, I would be lying if I claimed this test hasn’t changed me. It has. And not for the better…
The time has come to reexamine my values and the way I’m facilitating learning in my classroom and figure out how to bring them back into alignment.
