Tales From School

August 2005

Sitting in a district training which is supposed to set me up for success in the classroom.  So far we have learned to always have a Do Now, that kids love vocabulary review games, and that it’s imperative to build relationships with your students.  Copious time has been set aside for reflection and discussion.  Now it is time for anonymous Q&A.  

The woman in charge of our breakout session—an experienced district teacher probably earning a tidy sum on the side—reaches into the bowl with meaty hands and pulls out a slip.  “‘How do we get kids to perform well on a test without teaching to a test?’”  My ears and the back of my neck grow hot and prickly despite the classroom’s unusually strong air conditioning (most public schools went completely without).  This was my question.  I had known it was inappropriate when I submitted it, but I had no other questions.  And the only thing worse than not having any of the answer is not even having any questions.

The woman pulls a face and shakes her head.  ”That’s ridiculous,” she proclaims officiously.  ”We don’t teach to the test here.”  She crumples up the paper and sets it aside in a corner of the desk beside her.  Her fingers are fat.  Her face is unattractive.  Her dress is frowsy.  

I stare straight ahead at an empty bulletin board.  A scrap of border, pinned in place by a lone staple, clings to its surface like a barnacle, evidence of the previous teacher’s former presence day in and day out for the past year, for 180 days.  It is the only spot of color on the wall.