School Accountability & Creativity

This post is an edited and updated version of a blog Mrs. Dodd wrote in February of 2014 titled "Public Education."

One of the greatest arguments against public education is our use of high-stakes standardized testing.  As educators, we get it.  We really do.  We may even join in with parents while you express your distaste with the state and federal governments' emphasis on high-stakes testing for children (as young as 3rd grade in Texas, with increasing requirements all the way down to Pre-Kindergarten).  Believe it or not, there aren't many teachers and principals who dream about the excitement and fun of a standardized test.  Parents, most of us are on your side when it comes to these things.  We see the stress on students, teachers, and families which may result from these assessments.

However, we also know that standardized tests are vital for the accountability of the thousands of school districts across this great nation.  We need to be certain that ALL children are receiving the best education possible, and that means assessing kids each year to be sure that our schools/teachers/administrators stay on track.  This is just the nature of the beast.

I've recently read a few articles about the increasing standards in public education, and how it is destroying the creativity of our youth.  My generation remembers having art and music (and sometimes even health) in elementary school, and typing class may have begun in junior high.  This is no longer the standard.  Now the biggest focus for our youngest students, it seems, is on reading.  It is commonplace for kindergarten students to be reading and learning the basics of grammar and writing.  By first grade, I see students writing entire paragraphs with complete sentences and proper grammar and punctuation.  One of the articles I read was making the argument that the extreme academic focus in kindergarten was damaging our childrens' natural curiosity and love of school.  I disagree.  Although it saddens me to see less emphasis on art and music in schools, I, for one, am so excited when a kindergarten student comes to my office to show me how she can read (and comprehend) a book!  It is even more thrilling when that same child beams with pride (and the twelve other five- and six-year-olds lined up behind her, awaiting their turns to show off to the principal as well).

With these changes in requirements and the ever-tightening time constraints, the responsibility now rests on parents to nurture a child's creativity through extra-curricular activities (dance, athletics, art classes, church involvement, etc.).  Don't get me wrong; creativity will still be encouraged within the public school system through a multitude of projects that also help to develop higher-order thinking skills.  Teachers incorporate art and music on a daily basis because it is good teaching.  But if you want your children to experience other avenues of creativity at a deeper level (which, like art and music, are proven to increase cognitive ability and academic performance), you may have to seek that out on your own.

I can see how this might be frightening to a parent of a child preparing to start kindergarten.  But what is even more frightening to me is the possibility that America's youth won't be able to measure up to the youth produced in other countries.  You see, we no longer live in a world where we need only focus on preparing our children to work in the businesses within our local communities.  We must prepare our children, instead, for a much larger "global community."  Without a good solid education, our children won't be able to compete with their worldly peers.  They'll get overlooked for jobs, and swept aside for promotions, while their more-educated counterparts move gracefully ahead.

Another complaint that I once heard about public education is that it is just a method to create machines through a "cookie cutter" education, and to destroy free thinking.  Anyone who know anything about public education understands the extensive amount of time and energy that is spent individualizing and enriching curriculum to fit the diverse needs of students.  Nothing about education is ever "cookie cutter."  Teachers spend hours upon hours figuring out how to modify their lessons and assignments in order to reach every child, and to appropriately assess their learning.

The bottom line is that the foundation for a great education begins at home, with strong parenting, and it continues within classrooms all across this great nation.  In this constantly-changing world that we live in, our children will have to think smarter and quicker than we ever did, and they will have to consider every angle on a global scale, rather than just the impact on their immediate communities.  We have a monumental task ahead of us, as teachers, para-educators, administrators, and parents, to educate our future generations so they are prepared to take over when our own bodies give out.  Until then, let's continue to be encouraging as we place our children in the care of the loving, talented, brilliant educators within the public school system.  I, for one, intend on watching them all blossom beautifully as a result.