Random Musings

It's been nearly a week since I last posted. It's not like I have nothing to say, because I do. It's just that work, school, and family have a way of pushing the blogging aside.

• Apart from the blogs I mentioned two weeks ago, another Bathysphere alum has entered my Google Reader radar. Kiernan Maletsky gives a full rundown of his daily listening habits along with some insight as to what may have led him to such choices. Read All Day Long.
• Speaking of my shout-outs to the local blogosphere, Pete Bland returned the favor via Twitter and Facebook.
• I listened to Wilco (The Album) this week and think they are returning to my good graces; Modest Mouse's new EP made me revisit This Is a Long Drive...; the selection of the opening track for the Monsters of Folk debut is confusing to me; and I got a lot of responses to a Tweet/Facebook status update concerning Nebraska.
• I don't really know what all the hub-bub is over the new Facebook interface. Just jump around between the news feed and the status updates. It's not that hard.
• Geocities closed its "doors" this week. I thought they did that years ago.
• Kids at Paxton-Keeley have been snorting Smarties. Really. I blame hipsters.
• Although I don't really report on the beering at this particular blog anymore, I did brew my third batch this past weekend (yet another reason I'm not blogging). It's a barley wine with bourbon-soaked wood chips for a little oak and vanilla flavoring. It should be good and potent.
• College football rolls on. I will not write about my team until they redeem themselves. Of course, at least they aren't 0-3 in their conference after getting shellacked on their homecoming night. Oh, and I'm predicting everywhere that Iowa will win the national championship. Write it down.
• I spent my first two nights alone with Lucia. We both survived.
• Not only am I not blogging, but I have not been able to attend many happy hours at the 'Tag in recent weeks (and won't make this week's either). Still, you should go and have a Lion Stout for me.
• There was other stuff, but I've already forgotten. I promise to do better.
  

I've been busy, but I've had time for this...

Testing. Is this thing on?

When I'm not blogging about music or films, I write about my suffering career as a teacher. This is one of those days.

Monday is the beginning of MAP testing at my school. The MAP is the high-stakes, standardized testing in Misery meant to leave no child untested...or behind...or something like that. The test is meant as a way to measure student, school, and teacher performance. So, for much of the year, we teachers focus most of our efforts in preparing our students to beat these tests in a futile attempt to reach 100% proficiency. This was a policy put into place by a lifelong C student who barely surpassed 50% in the last presidential election.

The part in all of this that directly affects me is the evaluation of teachers.

If you've read my blog before, you know that I was deemed inadequate as a fourth grade teacher. I mostly chalk this up to my very poor showing last year. I really struggled throughout the year and feel that no matter how hard I worked or how much improvement I made, the admin at my school were going to get rid of me. Sure, I'm the first to admit that I didn't do a very good job. The principal and vice principal had documented all kinds of poor showings during observations.

The cherry on top was when they pulled out my students' test scores. They weren't up to snuff. My test scores were used against me, because "it's all about student achievement" now a days. This was the final straw for my administrators. Poor test scores equaled no job.

I'm not suggesting that teachers will be shown the door if their students don't do well on state tests. However, if you raise a stink or have a really off-year (both of which I've done), someone will surely pull up your test scores to justify your non-renewal or dismissal.

I'm not supposed to take this personally. My bosses say that they really like me. This was a professional decision, not a personal one. I'm supposed to know that they consider me a friend.

This is hard to take. I raised a stink last year about no real union representation. This year I complained to colleagues about the uncomfortable working environment due to constant sexual harassment. (Of course none of it was directed at me.) I know that the first piece of information got back to the principal. I'm sure the second has as well.


With the dissolution of teachers unions, especially in Misery, test scores will become the new standard on which every teacher is judged. Is this fair? Is this part of a larger plot to rid public education of unions? Is it a way for right-wing nuts to regain control of public schools?

It's only a matter of time before prayer is back in school and teachers are union-less. Conservative "values" will return and the homogenization of America will continue.

Of course, I'm still looking for another job...in teaching. I'll have to make sure not to give my new administration any reason to use my poor test scores against me in the future.