Hey, Math
High School math is under pressure in America to improve. Considering that the country is low on the world list of math and science achievement, schools are targeted and scrutinized on the basis of percentage increases in test score data. Schools are monitored by bombardment, harrassment, subterfuge, malignment, and threats in a system fostering preservation and promotion of thugs, stooges, and pawns who are willing to operate within its deception and corruption for gain of top players accumulating personal benefits at the expense of educational buffoonery.
The initiative deploys representatives of the Feds teamed up with state and district directors, decked out in their starched white shirts, ties, and black suits (the women are clad in straight, too short, skirts, like the ones you see on all the female newspersons, and their chosen blouse color seems to be power pink), polished black Florsheims, or for the women, black block heeled pumps, to storm unannounced into classrooms, spread themselves strategically about the room, observe what you're doing and make notes on forms on clipboards. They search the room for evidence that anyone knows anything; then they start asking the kids questions while you are standing talking in the front of the class while no one is listening because they are frozen like sticks.
At first the kids are like deer in headlights; desperately seeking eye contact with the teacher to see what to do or how to react, or escape. Finding that the teacher is as trapped as they are, students simply stutter, stammer, or lock their mouths shut throughout the drill.
After the assault, the Feds and friends file out the door casting looks over their shoulders of disdain, disgust, and disapproval.
The next day emails are sent out to all employees regarding results of the observation stating "kids when asked could not articulate what they were doing or why they were doing it." In actuality, the kids could not articulate at all because they were in shock and fear of every kind of degradation and public humiliation.
At this point, teachers observed are made to respond to the report saying that the observation and feedback has caused them to become better teachers and motivated more than ever to provide higher level critical thinking opportunities with accountable talk and "rigorous" lessons.
Feedback from the students is really, "Who are those people and why were they here; they are scary." Teachers would like to reassure students that they are safe from these attacks, but there is no repose.
In response, students having experienced these "visits" in the past now shut down completely when confronted by the group; they refuse to talk or answer any questions. The students go into freeze and act-deaf mode, and never make eye contact; don't make these people think they can break us; we won't talk. This part I like, the kids show personal survival skills. I have learned from them and don't answer anything either; just act too busy with students to respond. Students final input is, to put it nicely, "Screw them!" which I think could be a valid response to the process.
One student so aptly editorialized at the top of one of his unit assessments about the pressure on math by writing a note to "math." He wrote, expressing his repulsion for the "math climate":
"Hey Math, if you're so stressed out, why don't you solve your own problems?"
He didn't read or solve another math problem at this school; his mother withdrew him and transferred to another district. Smart mom.
