Testing My Patience

Sorry for not posting early, folks.

I had to take time to filter my feelings and process my thoughts before posting.

Last week, when we were still in classes, the principal from my field placement came into to talk to the students in our special education course. After presenting on the topic of Keystones and flipping through dozens of Powerpoint slides, he concluded his presentation by saying: "Do I want my teachers to teach to the test? Of course I do."

This upset me greatly.

I told my cooperating teacher about the talk and she relayed the story to the Department Chair at the school where I'm doing my observations. The chair of the department then leaned over the table, looked me in the eyes and said, "Welcome to the real world. My number one priority as a teacher is to get these kids to pass the test. Would it be nice if they learned something? Sure, it would, but that's secondary."

Overall, the whole testing culture is testing my patience. I can't even really formulate any sort of eloquent response to these statements; I'm frustrated. Getting students to learn will always be my number one priority, regardless of how much pressure is placed upon me due to some silly test. If that makes me a poor candidate for a job opening, then so be it.