If only we could simply focus on teaching content.
Well, that’s really not true. I love teaching content. I love teaching students how to read, how to break apart words and generate meaning from misunderstanding. But the most fun moments in class are often not strictly content related.
My school is giving the North Carolina Writing Test for 7th graders this week. This is a high-stakes test that is used for a variety of purposes- measuring individual student writing skills, measuring individual teachers’ teaching skills, and measuring a schools’ effectiveness.
This is a whole lot we’re placing on the shoulders of our students. Luckily, they’re tough. And, if you’ve developed a strong relationship with your students, you can push them through this tight space.
It’s a bit like building trust in a relationship. You continually deposit into this account, hoping not to make any withdrawals. On those rare occasions you need withdraw, the relationship will withstand it.
With your students, you fill them up all year long. Build that trust. Help them find areas of success. Build on their strengths. Then, when you need to ask them to really try hard, when you need them to stretch beyond where they normally are…
..when you need them to perform on one of these high-stakes tests…
…they’re there for you. They will step up and do their best. I’ve seen it time after time and year after year.
The more you invest in your students, the more they will return that investment when you need it most.
Good luck, everyone out there struggling through these high stakes tests. You can do it. I believe in you.
Darren B.