What the PARK is, and What the PARCC Will Never Be: A Slice of Life

Writing teachers need to write themselves.

I am participating in the Slice of Life 2015 Challenge, 

where I attempt to write stories and narratives about moments in my life.

I apologize if this blog post veers off the informative "literacy lens" I usually write through.

This month I am pretending to be a writer, for my students' benefit (and my own).

Writers write. 

#SOL15

I am not sure why it makes me so angry that park and PARCC sound the same, but it does.

We are park hoppers.  In the summer, we will drive almost an hour sometimes to try a new park out.

Watching my son and daughter slide down a twisty slide, arms up, screaming in happiness, and then racing back up to the top to do it again... 

The park is joy.

Seeing my son, who once saw an OT for poor core strength, climb the rope ladder all by himself for the first time...

The park is strength.

Watching my daughter fall down while trying to climb the stepping stones, brush herself off, and do it again...

The park is a learning opportunity.

Noticing that my children have yet again met some new friends to play with...

The park is conversation, with speaking and listening.

Observing my son try to climb the rock wall, pause and get his ground, and continue on...
The park is challenge within their limits.

Wiping the tears on his face as we turn to go home, and seeing my daughter wave and say "Goodbye, park!"...
The park is a positive experience.

Today, I choose to focus on the park.  Not the PARCC that will consume our week at Hiawatha starting tomorrow.  No, the actual park.  The REAL park.  

The PARCC (and any standardized test, for that matter) is none of the above.  
It is time we take the word park back, before our children associate it with testing rather than childhood. 

OK, just to be clear...
I am not saying that we boycott the state testing or anything crazy like that.  I think we just have to take it, and move on.  BUT the teaching that occurs every day in our school is phenomenal, and that is ultimately what matters.  We do our best every day to make sure our students get what they need.  And, in many cases, things like play and recess get cut out.  So perhaps I am just asking that we consider that as we spend so much time preparing for a single test.  Perhaps some of that time can be given back to our students to be kids, because the instruction we give them is targeted and timely and thoughtful.  Less is more, sometimes.  

I spent my entire school life being tested.  The PARCC is just the latest version.  The ISAT, the California Achievement, and the Iowa Basic Skills are all the same.  A test that just measures part of what our kids can do, brings results after the year is over, and stops instruction in the process.  The format of the PARCC is new, but the concept is not.

But, consider this...  
What if we gave our students less of things like the PARCC, but gave them more time at the PARK?  

I, for one, would be happier.  I love a good slide.