Friday Coach Note
March 18, 2016
Happy Spring Break!
We'll come back to a whirlwind of testing in April. You should have found that schedule in your mailboxes. I'll be working on a more detailed schedule of our IRI, CBM and CORE weeks and I'll have that for you when we get back. There may be changes and adjustments but we'll just deal with them as they come!
I came across this letter from a teacher to his students and wanted to share it with you!
I'd also like to add that this testing does not measure the awesome teacher that you are. It doesn't reflect the hours of planning and preparation you make for your students every day! It can't score the relationships you have built, nor the memories made! There won't be a report on your patience, caring and kindness. The test has no way of knowing how many nights you have woken up thinking about a particular student, or the tears you have shed for them. So just encourage your students to do their best, to be confident, and remember the things you have taught them.
You are the best!
Mrs. J. Posyluzny
A Teacher's Letter To His Students Before They Take A Standardized Test Is Making People Cry, And That's A Good Thing By Michael W. Pirrone
We’ve all done it. Something at some point made you cry in school. Whether it happened in the middle of class, on the playground, or you ran off to some quiet corner, we’ve all been there. Or maybe not. Maybe you’re some sort of robot and your metal, gears, and circuitry don’t have time for human emotions. If so, please contact us. We’d love to do a story on a robot that went to school.
Either way, tears don’t always mean sadness. You don’t have to be upset to cry. Just overwhelmed with really any kind of emotion. Even happiness. Tears of joy happen to be the subject of this story. At first, Abby Martin wasn’t sure what had caused her son Rylan to break down in tears in the middle of class. He simply told her he was embarrassed to have done so.
When she found out, she was soon overwhelmed as well and knew she had to share the cause of her family’s sobfest on Instagram. It was a letter, from Rylan’s teacher to his third-grade class.
The students were about to take their first series of standardized tests. These math and reading tests are important to school districts for funding but, unfortunately, the emphasis placed on them can lead to a lot of stress for the average student. Especially a nine-year-old like Rylan.
It can seem like a make or break moment for a child who can barely understand such things. So his teacher decided to do something about it.
He wrote a beautiful letter, detailing the ways in which these somewhat controversial tests can’t begin to define a student. Whether it’s your passion for music, art, or sports, a multiple choice math test simply can’t know these things. A test can’t know what a wonderful person you are. It also can’t tell how smart you are. Only how well you learned to take this particular test.
When the teacher’s letter reached the Internet via Abby, it made waves. And when you read it, it’s easy to see why.
Abby Martin