As I read this chapter I couldn’t help but think of when we first started this program and were introduced to Margaret and Claire.  When was that…oh yeah!  ALMOST AN ENTIRE YEAR AGO!  (Although it doesn’t seem so long ago now.)  I know that looking back to where I was then in my career to where I am now is very different.  This program has brought to light a lot of the ins and outs of teaching that I somehow knew but were lost somewhere along the way.  I truly believe that I can be an agent of change in my school as well as my community.  I think that by starting small I can see changes taking place.  As a member of my building leadership team as well as the grade level manager, I have already begun to plant small seeds of change.  I really felt connected with Michelle Calva’s story on page 485.  She states “It’s easy to get caught up in the hectic pace most teachers (including me) keep without stopping to consider the real goals that motivate us.”  I feel that this has been true for me as well.  In order to make the change, I have made a conscious effort this year to consider those “goals that motivate” me and be a role model for my students and for my fellow teachers.  She goes on to say “I seek to keep my classroom practices grounded in the philosophies that I believe” which is exactly where I am going now with my career.  I feel that overall this chapter sort of summed up what the teaching profession has to offer, whether it be good, bad, or ugly.  Right now I feel empowered by this amazing year I have spent living, learning, and growing and I am looking forward to further growth in my career during the next school year.  Thank you, Ed.S program and fellow classmates for helping me along the way!

When did there become this huge push for standardized testing?  I don’t remember this type of push when I was in school.  Did it come with the implementation of NCLB?  I know that I am NOT a good test taker.  I get anxious, and nervous, and I feel sweaty, I don’t sleep the night before, and I usually experience fatigue and nausea the day of the test.  At our school there is a HUGE push for CRCT.  There’s a pep rally to boost enthusiasm over CRCT, there’s an attendance race to see which class(es) have perfect attendance during the week of CRCT, and EVERY student receives free breakfast each morning the test is given.  The principal also insists on knowing EXACTLY what you are doing in your classroom to prepare students for the CRCT and what test preparation skills you are teaching DAILY as well as how long you are spending on it.  Now ‘the powers that be’ are implementing GKIDS next year for ALL kindergarten students to track their progress and this will be done online—so it’s just about the same as the standardized tests being given to the upper grades, with the exception of the fact that it is oral and not written.  What’s wrong with allowing the teachers—the EXPERTS—to decide what type of assessment works best for their students and then administering that assessment accordingly?  If we all assess on the GPS then what’s the difference?  I think that ultimately some of the power needs to be given back to the teachers—the ones who are with the students ALL DAY, EVERY DAY—where it needs to be!