When I was in 10th grade Honors English (Mrs. Dart), we read To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s an easy read, and a compelling story: I read it that first night. Then I went back to school and realized we were only supposed to read one chapter a day, and we had to fill out a lame, lame, lame worksheet every day to prove we’d read it. I hated (HATED) going back and filling out those stupid worksheets. (In (expletive) HONOR’s English, for crying out loud.)
My AP English class a couple years later was a million times better, and worth the price of admission to public school. Mr. Olsen stood at the front of the class, strumming his guitar and reciting poetry. We read books and wrote essays. I learned how to argue a point with evidence from the text, and to love poetry even if I did recognize the rhyme and meter. He was a Dead Poet’s Society-type of teacher, without the Robin Williams creepiness.
But was it worth suffering through two years of Mrs. Dart’s “honors” to get one year of Mr. Olsen’s sublime rendering of the William Carlos Williams verse?
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
I still remember the tune he wrote to accompany it. I can’t recite the poem without singing it the way he did. His favorites were Dylan Thomas, John Donne, and Bob Dylan. I loved books before him, but all of my appreciation of poetry comes from those first fifteen minutes of class every day when we read our way through the anthology of poetry and discovered The Silken Tent, and Emily Dickinson. I did my college thesis on Emily Dickinson’s poetry.
We went to Sally’s parent-teacher conference last night. Mrs. W. loves Sally, and Sally loves her. Sally is helpful, cheerful, bright, blah blah blah. Sally’s grades were all A’s and B+’s. Dick and I being who we are, and one of those B+’s being in reading, we wanted to know why. Sally didn’t read at age three or anything, but once she did start reading (at seven-ish), she caught up right quick. In the past month she’s read A Wrinkle in Time, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and the second Percy Jackson book.
Mrs. W. pulled out Sally’s DRA form and showed us where she’s at a fifth grade level for fluency, speed, and vocabulary, but lost points on comprehension, summary, and reflection. Fair enough. Those are important things, only it turns out the lack is in her comprehension of the test, not the text. I pointed out that the questions were poorly worded (asking for a “list” but expecting “list and describe”) and that a summary by definition means that you do not include every single detail. As for reflection, I am beginning to think that she is even more literal than I am, because she answered the question accurately, concisely, but apparently not reflectively enough to satisfy the district rubric.
Much worse though, when we were discussing this and Sally protested that she likes to read fast to find out what happens next, Mrs. W. said that the point of all this is to get you ahead, so that when you’re in fourth grade they don’t knock you back from a level 34 reader to a level 28. And I said:
HOLD THE (expletive, but only in my mind) TRUCK, lady, the point of all this is for you to enjoy reading a book.
I was pretty outraged. I know I probably started it by expressing concern over a B+, and probably lulled her teacher into thinking I cared what freaking reading level the district rubric assigned to my daughter (as if that matters in any way), but really, she can read whatever-the-heck she wants, and I only want to know if she’s really having a problem understanding what she reads — which, as far as I can tell from her re-tellings at home of the books she reads and her reasons for liking and disliking them, she doesn’t.
There are two things here, and I explained to Sally last night that knowing how to read and enjoying and understanding a book are one thing, and deciding to play the game of testing and school is another. If you’re going to play the game and take tests and go to school, you have to learn not what the best answer is, but what the test answer is. You can read for fun, but then you’ll have to go back and look for the details that will prove that you have read it. Eventually you will train your mind to pick up the kinds of details that teachers (and districts) like to ask about to easily and superficially gauge comprehension.
It’s fine. I reconciled myself long ago to the discrepancy between knowing something and testing well. And, if I may say so, I can teach her how to test well. And I will, because I want her to enjoy school and college and a profession of some sort.
But something in me rebels. I don’t like explaining to my nine-year old that her teacher at school cares more about how her answer on a poorly-written worksheet compares with the unstated and murky expectations of a central office than about whether or not she is enjoying herself reading books.
It’s not really a last-straw type of thing for homeschooling, but last night it felt like it.
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IMO William Carlos Williams is just about the most overhyped poet ever to be published. That one about the plums is just worthless. But my teacher didn’t play guitar, maybe that makes a difference.
I’m reading a book right now by a really well renowned public school teacher name Rafe Esquith. He’s been recognized by Oprah, the Dalai Lama, and the Queen of England. His book, Teach Like Your Hair is On Fire, is meant to inspire teachers and give them ideas in the classroom, but is also an unintentional expose on the ridiculous things that happen in the public school system as far as testing and such. Everything you’ve said here about reading, he says in his book. Teachers can still teach effectively without succumbing to the brain vacuum that is the testing system, Esquith does. But most don’t bother or just don’t see how. Maybe I’ll send you the book when I’m done. Even if you don’t homeschool, it gives you a good idea of how the system works, and how it can be amended by parents and caring teachers.
Jane Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
To be honest, I haven’t read anything by WCW since that class, but I sure can recite that red wheelbarrow poem. The guitar and talk-singing were spectacularly awesome.
Sounds like a great book. I’ll look for it… or beg your copy.
I too would read a book in one night and then have to go back and fill out those worksheets in Honors English classes, but for me that was a good thing. I read so quickly I often forgot the small-yet-important details between the lines of text. For me those lame, often ponderous worksheets reminded me of what I’d just read!
Perhaps I can tutor Sarah in test-taking since I was such a pro at it (remember my telling you about cramming for tests during our recent play date?). And then she can teach me all about knowing and understanding the book I’ve just read.
Emily Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:12 pm
I concur with Emily H. While I’m not defending this particular teacher’s handling of the situation, I do think it’s important to “look” at a book in several ways to get the most out of a book. If we have to write about a book, discuss the book, even *gasp* test on a book, it makes us read it in a deeper way. We’re more likely to take the time to mark passages, wonder about questions posed and put ourselves into the shoes of the characters. This kind of reading is taught.
Having said all of that, I think Sally is too dang young for all of that business. I disagree with testing entirely until the child is at least eight. But, in my one room school house, I have that option.
Jane Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Sally just turned nine, and she’s not a delicate flower or anything, and it’s not like a B+ is the end of the world, anyway. I’m not against tests, standardized or otherwise, I was just a little flummoxed that I needed to explain to her the difference between learning and testing, knowing and answering so young.
I think there’s a big difference between asking about a book’s themes or a character’s motives or how the reader looks at life differently after reading and asking what color shirt a secondary character wore in chapter three. The first type of question demands critical thinking skills, the second type of question is easy to grade. The first type of question is the kind we ask around the dinner table, the second is easy to ask of 29 third-graders.
I agree with you on looking at a book in different ways. I’m all for reading a book more than once. My favorite books I read once a year.
You’re so lucky…in the UK kids are expected to start reading age 5. If they are not reasonably fluent readers by the age of 7 then they’re considered ‘behind’. Not reading at age 8…’special needs’. It’s a bummer. And here, so much ‘teaching to the test’. Whatever happened to the fun of learning? sigh.
That’s why we home educate.
Jane Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
I feel very strongly that kids learn to read when they’re ready (if given all opportunity and support); I really think it’s like walking. Some walk early, some late; they’re not going to walk before their legs are ready. Sally walked on her 1st birthday, but she didn’t speak much until she was 2 1/2. Once she started talking, it was complete sentences within a couple months.
So yeah, sometimes I think homeschooling is the way to go, because every kid is so different. And a teacher with a classful is never going to know your child as well as you do.
This is my biggest problem with the public education system. I completely understand the IDEA behind the testing, but the execution, administration, and evaluation of it is bananas. In my mind, the whole purpose of elementary school should be getting kids to love school, love learning, and feel like they are smart. The end. Middle school should be about teaching the kids processes, procedures, and research. THEN in high school they can learn about the nitty gritty and how to figure out how to get over on tests so that in college they can spend the most time partying as possible.
Jane Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Yes! Although I would add that elementary school should also be about playing and having fun. I am so much more concerned that my kids love books — I don’t even care when they learn how to read, they’ll learn sometime. Much more important that they love it.
Dude. Seriously. I would have gone full on crazy to this teacher. I agree that I understand her point (I AM an English teacher) but I would want a student to LOVE reading first and foremost. Teach a student to love to read and they can educate themselves. I studied English not to make 10 year olds write essays but because I LOVE TO READ and I want to share that with other people. You have more patience than I.
Jane Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:37 pm
It’s a good thing PT conf. only comes around three times a year; there is time to cool off in between…
The “teaching to the test” happens not only in public schools but in private schools as well because one of the big selling points of private schools is that their students outperform the local public school districts on standardized testing.
(I have two in parochial school so I speak from experience.)
It bugs me to no end as well, this teaching our kids how to test well rather than inciting a passion for learning. My 6 y o also gets the “reads fluently above grade level but doesn’t always comprehend (test) well” comment from time to time.
There’s a time to learn how to be test savvy (jr & high school) and there’s a time to simply encourage kids to love love LOVE reading. Reading is the most fundamental of learning skills; I always tell my kids if you can read, you can learn ANYTHING with time and practice.
I’m just echoing your thoughts, here, but just had to chime in. And I’ve read about 7 or 8 homeschooling books since Christmas…just becoming informed.
i agree that enjoying a book and testing well are two different skills.
when my kids first started school we were in iowa, in one of the best school districts in the US, and their elementary schools did not give kids grades. they also had a ton of parent teacher conferences to let us know where the kids needed reinforcement.
now we live in Georgia, where everything is graded. even homework in kindergarten, or any worksheet or assignments. right away they are labeled as smart or not smart. even their behavior is graded. and it just so happens that it is one of the worst school districts in the nation…also they don’t do parent teacher conferences here…
Two more years of blissful daycare before prep (preschool, the year before grade 1, which here now is part of the school system, uniforms & all). Ever since my grade 10 English teacher only knew two kinds of sonnet, not all three kinds, I’ve worried about my future with English and language teachers when my child hits the school system. And how very precocious of me to be so uppity about knowing more about sonnets than my teacher … *rolling eyes*.