Do U C What I C

I am thinking of stirring up some trouble.  I don’t know if I will really do it, but I am thinking about it.  I have some issues with the amount of time we are expected to spend reviewing for the MAP test.  I have been prepping them for the MAP since August.  I know what they need to know, I know how they need to say it, I know how it will be scored.  I teach with that in the back of my head every day….and now I don’t want to be told that I have to drop all of my projects and routines and cram random facts down the throats of my students.  If they don’t have what they need to do well on the test by now, they won’t have any more of it after 3 weeks of cramming.  I know that I need to go over a few things so that it’s fresh in their minds.  I know that we are currently judged by these test scores.  I know that I may be called to the table if my kids don’t perform.  But I am not sure I care…..I mean, I care about my students doing their best on the test, but that’s as far as I can go with it.  So I think I’ll just keep going….teaching, facilitating, differentiating.  This time of year is always hard for me, but I think a couple things are causing me to take a stand this year.  One:  I have become more aware of the bigger picture this year, via my social network.  I could just sit back and swallow my beliefs as I always do and conform to the usual drill, but it seems more like a sell out now because of what I know, and the conversations I have had.  I feel like I need to make a little fuss in my own little corner of the world, for the greater good, you know?  Two:  I scored the MAP last summer, and it was the most enlightening look into the belly of the beast that I have ever had.  I think it has made me realize how random and unrepresentative the scores actually are- it made me mad really, as a teacher of children.  I think these two things have pushed me over the proverbial edge when it comes to high stakes testing.  The question is, will I cook my own goose?  We’ll see….here comes trouble:)