In the vernacular of today she reflects on the reality, we are all "Whole Children," Teachers, and Students too. We are more than "One" Score in "One Class" in the course of "One Year..
Every one of us, regardless of our age looks, listens, learns, teaches, and then learns anew.
We are never authentically "One." We are a collection of emotions, experiences, lessons learned and the effects of these.
We do not discover the wealth of our knowledge in "One Year." Nay express all that we unearthed in a single examination.
Teacher Amy Valens stated as she strolled through the backyard . . . There isn't one right way to teach, but whatever the method, the "whole child" is there, waiting, and needs to be addressed. If we stay mindful of that, and are not constrained by one size-fits-all solutions, we can create joyful, respectful environments that fit the children we're teaching.
Let us Bring Life to Schools. It is time that we more authentically assess and teach. .
Rather than repeat the problems as Administrators, policymakers and parents do, let us do other than adopt unsubstantiated solutions or accept statements proven false.
Think of your own life and your child's.
Students held accountable do not necessarily succeed.
Teachers paid more for higher students' test scores fare no better.
Measurements do not move minds Nay Mountains.
Test scores are not the best determinates for future successes.
Failure is not only an option; it is what these practices yield.
It is these narrow approaches, the labels we purposely impose, that have led us to be "A Nation At Risk!"
We never were or will be "One Class," "One Year," or achieve "One Standard" that truly serves our students well. We are more than the sum of these parts.
I offer a thought Malcolm Gladwell articulates in an article titled Teachers and Quarterbacks . . . You discover that the psychological situation facing gatekeepers...is identical: that confronted with a prediction deficit, the human impulse is to tighten standards, when it fact it should be to loosen standards.
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