Kaydonna Wolfe, a former teacher in Texas where the standardized testing fad began, says "We have let it happen", and by that she means teachers. She is right!
Because teachers are afraid of losing their jobs when they speak out against testing, most parents and community members remain in the dark about what's happening in their children's schools. Parents blindly trust that how their children are taught, must be good for their kids.
They do not expect that teachers condone child abuse and neglect, and yet...what do you call it when kids live in fear of scoring poorly on the test? What do you call it when kids in kindergarten are taught by script that does not allow the teacher to respond to a question or comment? What will it do to the child's psyche to be ignored? What do you call it when kids in kindergarten can no longer play?
Kaydonna says, "We are putting school data which leads to funding, over the needs of children, and this must stop...I'm begging our educators to take a stand....Did you become a teacher for data and funding, or did you become a teachers to do what's best for children? We've got to stop and think about what we're doing to children, and do what's right...The first thing you can do is to tell your story...What we have to do is tell the truth!"
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