Zzzzzzzzzzz

So. Tired. Getting used to this new schedule is tough. Teachers get two planning periods a day, but aides get nothin'. They have an assignment every class period. Here I am, a fairly healthy (though slightly overweight) 20-something hauling my ass from one side of the building to another, all the while maneuvering through hoards of children, and I'm exhausted before the end of the day. And while I'm in class, I'm constantly on my feet, saying to Johnny to stay on task and running over to the other side of the room to answer Suzie's question, while simultaneously making sure that Jimmy and Joey are keeping their hands to themselves and that Mary* is caught up on the homework she missed yesterday. Imagine doing that while pregnant! Yeesh.

People don't give aides the credit they deserve. At least, people who don't work in a school environment don't. Sure, they have no planning to do, but they WORK for their money for sure! I think every citizen should be required to spend a few days in a school to see how things really work. Most of the stuff that goes on people can't even imagine, let alone suspect.

*all names are changed to protect the innocent

Standardization? Not so much.

We all know about the gigantic move toward standardization of education, culminating with the state tests given at every grade level in every subject. But standardization of education is impossible because standardization of an occupation as amorphous and necessarily pliant as teaching is impossible.

Before the explanation, some background is required... next week an aide is going on maternity leave and the principal asked me to shadow her this week in preparation for covering her absence for the next two months. She mostly goes to integrated (which now means multiple levels of skills, not multiple skin tones) English classes. Both eighth grade English teachers do exactly the same thing (subject-wise) in their classrooms, but their styles are wildly different. Mr. S. is much more intense, more lenient, and slightly more engaging than Ms. L., for instance. He also gives much clearer instructions and has better time-management skills, but is less organized.

It's clear to see whose teaching style I prefer. But that doesn't mean this style works for everyone. If teaching styles are (and I would argue, must be) definitively different across the board, doesn't it stand to reason that the ways kids' knowledge is tested must be different to? I (as was every other teacher) was taught in grad school that differentiation is a MUST in the teaching profession. Which makes perfect sense. Why doesn't this differentiation extend to the state & federal level, from which all decisions arise?

A lot of work is left to be done.