“...students deserve to be seen for who they are and not only for their ability to perform.”
The Conference Blues, The New York Times
We have to change. We have to stop doing what we are doing to families. We have to stop sitting down with parents (often only one to two times a year) and share about how their child is performing on tests. To me, the tests don't tell me much. The tests don't tell me how my child solves problems, what happens when he gets stuck, how he responds to challenges. It doesn't tell me how he collaborates, dreams or uses his imagination. It doesn't reveal his creativeness, emotions, passions, excitement.
So when my child becomes a number on a test, I get little insight as to what he is as a learner. He becomes a student who answers a series of questions perceived to target his age level and academic prowess. And it breaks my heart as a parent and as a teacher.
I know teachers see and experience kids as so much more than a test score so please, share THAT with me, the parent. Show me the kid you see, my child that I share with you each day.
Instead of sharing standardized test scores and common assessments, imagine parents walking into school and seeing their child’s work and their peers’ filling the school’s blank spaces? What if, as parents waited their turn, there was an opportunity for them to scan a QR code and see a video of their child working, thinking, collaborating, designing, and iterating throughout their school day? What if we provided parents with several snapshots of what each day looks like in the classroom? What if we utilized technology and put it in the hands of the kids to share what they are learning with their families every day? What if we invited parents into our classrooms digitally and physically? What if conferences consisted of sharing all the creative, challenging, integrated learning projects students have been working on collaboratively with classmates and peers? What if parents sat down and saw a photo collage of their child? Saw the happiness, excitement, struggles? What if teachers were asked to capture each child in these various emotions as they are learning in their classrooms? What would teachers see? When are we going to stop looking at these amazing children as test scores?
I am proud of my boys and the opportunities their teacher has provided them this school year. I am proud of who they are growing up to be (yes, we have many opportunities to keep working on it but still very proud). I am proud of how hard they are working. I am proud of the fact that they understand “practice makes progress.” I am proud of how they think, learn, share, and interact with their peers. Despite not being in the classroom with them every day for 6 to 7 hours a day, I can see them growing as learners. I have watched my boys grow as readers, get excited about math, and ask questions about their scientific wonderings. I can tell you they are improving.
I don’t need a number. What I need is to share the number (because we live in a world of standardized tests) but then list the amazing things my child is doing in the classroom that doesn’t surprise you about that number. Be specific about what you share. Don’t share the snapshot of one test. Tell me what is going on in the classroom because of that number. Tell me how that has informed the learning, tell me what is next, tell me about my child.
As a parent and a teacher, let’s make a change. Let’s take a vow. Help hold me just as accountable for providing the best opportunities for families to see what their children are experiencing in school. Let’s change what we provide for parents. I really don’t believe parents get excited to hear about the worksheets their child so diligently completed and quickly forgot, the test that mom and dad made them go to bed early for the night before, or the monotonous reading text that delivers no interest. I think parents would jump out of their seats if they had a chance to really see their child’s thinking in their original work. To give parents a chance to see the real “ah ha” moments we get to see in the classroom. How powerful would that be for families?!!
The Conference Blues, The New York Times
We have to change. We have to stop doing what we are doing to families. We have to stop sitting down with parents (often only one to two times a year) and share about how their child is performing on tests. To me, the tests don't tell me much. The tests don't tell me how my child solves problems, what happens when he gets stuck, how he responds to challenges. It doesn't tell me how he collaborates, dreams or uses his imagination. It doesn't reveal his creativeness, emotions, passions, excitement.
So when my child becomes a number on a test, I get little insight as to what he is as a learner. He becomes a student who answers a series of questions perceived to target his age level and academic prowess. And it breaks my heart as a parent and as a teacher.
I know teachers see and experience kids as so much more than a test score so please, share THAT with me, the parent. Show me the kid you see, my child that I share with you each day.
Instead of sharing standardized test scores and common assessments, imagine parents walking into school and seeing their child’s work and their peers’ filling the school’s blank spaces? What if, as parents waited their turn, there was an opportunity for them to scan a QR code and see a video of their child working, thinking, collaborating, designing, and iterating throughout their school day? What if we provided parents with several snapshots of what each day looks like in the classroom? What if we utilized technology and put it in the hands of the kids to share what they are learning with their families every day? What if we invited parents into our classrooms digitally and physically? What if conferences consisted of sharing all the creative, challenging, integrated learning projects students have been working on collaboratively with classmates and peers? What if parents sat down and saw a photo collage of their child? Saw the happiness, excitement, struggles? What if teachers were asked to capture each child in these various emotions as they are learning in their classrooms? What would teachers see? When are we going to stop looking at these amazing children as test scores?
I am proud of my boys and the opportunities their teacher has provided them this school year. I am proud of who they are growing up to be (yes, we have many opportunities to keep working on it but still very proud). I am proud of how hard they are working. I am proud of the fact that they understand “practice makes progress.” I am proud of how they think, learn, share, and interact with their peers. Despite not being in the classroom with them every day for 6 to 7 hours a day, I can see them growing as learners. I have watched my boys grow as readers, get excited about math, and ask questions about their scientific wonderings. I can tell you they are improving.
I don’t need a number. What I need is to share the number (because we live in a world of standardized tests) but then list the amazing things my child is doing in the classroom that doesn’t surprise you about that number. Be specific about what you share. Don’t share the snapshot of one test. Tell me what is going on in the classroom because of that number. Tell me how that has informed the learning, tell me what is next, tell me about my child.
As a parent and a teacher, let’s make a change. Let’s take a vow. Help hold me just as accountable for providing the best opportunities for families to see what their children are experiencing in school. Let’s change what we provide for parents. I really don’t believe parents get excited to hear about the worksheets their child so diligently completed and quickly forgot, the test that mom and dad made them go to bed early for the night before, or the monotonous reading text that delivers no interest. I think parents would jump out of their seats if they had a chance to really see their child’s thinking in their original work. To give parents a chance to see the real “ah ha” moments we get to see in the classroom. How powerful would that be for families?!!