Day 29 - Needlessly complex

The day started off with all of us (minus Fynn) unreasonably irritated. Schedules were thrown into chaos last night as I discovered at 5:15 pm that the only possible times to take my mandatory (news to me) SLT training for D's school was at 5:30 last night or tonight. That's the team I was elected to last week, made up of teachers, parents, the Principal, and the PTA pres, which creates the Comprehensive Educational Plan for the school. That means every detail of who teaches what, how, with what funding, from where ... yadda yadda. I thought it was an advisory committee when I signed up, not a budgeting nightmare! It technically is advisory as the principal has final say.

I had to scramble for babysitting tonight, and get M to come home and pick up and feed the boys before going on his alone night. All for the privilege of listening to 2 hours of acronyms, corp-speak, academic mumbo jumbo (can you tell I was impressed?!) and descriptions of just how to create this CEP for the school. The titles alone made me want to giggle or scream, and the more I heard the less it sounded like ANYthing could be accomplished in a system so complex, convoluted, changing, and just plain bureaucratic. And I only saw a wee glimpse of the whole thing.

I struggled to stay focused (though lack of supper didn't help) and found myself wishing for a one-room school house with mixed grades to send my kids to. Reactionary I'm sure, but I don't for one minute think the kids need to be tested every 6 weeks (including the lowest grades) in their english and math skills. Nor do I think the best way to teach them is cut recess (they have none, just the few minutes after lunch) and free time and keep the slower ones after school for an extra 37.5 minutes to cram more stuff down their throats. (yes, it's EXACTLY 37.5 minutes!) I know I don't see the whole picture, nor do I particularly want to. I'm sure I'll learn a lot more as the year goes on and I put in my mandatory additional 28 hours, but I find my skin crawling at the prospect of lots of paper and pencil pushing.

Perhaps I'm just feeling cynical?

I AM glad it's almost Friday, that NoBloPoMo ends tomorrow, and that A is coming to move the rest of his stuff out!

Comments

[wikkidperson]

I keep an eye on the NYS education system and am always grateful not to be working there. The book "The Case Against Standardized Testing" points out that testing the kids is for the benefit of the administration primarily, and is not an educational activity for the children, as it doesn't actually teach them anything, which makes it a dubious practice in a school. However, it is presented as "beneficial for learning" when actually it is to ward off possible allegations that "these kids aren't learning anything!" which is what any idiot always says about any school. The book compares it to a weight loss centre saying "If you weighed yourself daily last week, and lost 5 pounds, weight yourself twice daily this week and you'll lose 10!"