I felt like today we were all talking about how the system makes teachers feel like they are teaching to the test, or teaching w/ handcuffs. That is not the kind of teacher iI want to be, however I do not see any way around it at this time. It would be great if we could just tell our selves that we will teach what the kids need to know and that would be it. However there are legislators who dont know the first thing about teaching, or children for that matter, who are making the rules. Before any teaching changes can be made we have got to do something about the people who are making our rules in which we teach by.

Hank, I agree with you, and this whole issue really bothers me. Hearing about teachers like the one from Parkway mentioned in class really makes me feel like there is some hope for creativity. In my third grade class, we learned our multiplication tables by getting a new ice cream topping for each table learned. Then, we had a giant ice cream party at the end of the unit. I've never forgotten that, and I hope that I'll be able to do memorable things like that in my classroom. After all, we just learned how much time the kids actually spend in the classroom, and it needs to be a worthwhile experience, regardless of what the legislators think.

I totally agree with both of you guys! We need to be a new generation of teachers who society starts saying good things about! Hopefully in this class we can discuss some ideas of creative ways to teach from the heart, while still preparing our students for tests they need to pass! Since these state tests are so important in administraters minds, we can't totally neglect them, but we must find a better way to deal with them! Somehow, there's got to be a way to teach what we feel is important, while covering test material at times also... I want to be one of those great teachers as well who makes the long school day something my kids look foward to, and come out of a better person!

I agree with all of you guys about this topic. There are so many teachers out there that do not love what they are doing. A child will feel that attitude and will be left behind. We are the ones that are molding the children of tomorrow. I believe that focusing on the end of grade testing is important to test on the things that were learned throughout the year. But, this should not be the main focus on the curriculum. There are so many more important concepts and ideas that will not be on the end of grade tests but will be of such importance in a childs life. The teacher at Parkway Elementary was such an inspiration to know that kids can learn in such way to keep them interested to succeed. It is hard for a child to succeed in an enviroment that jumps from textbook to textbook. As we grow as teachers I hope that we can go beyond the norms and excel in the classroom and allow our children to soar.

I really agree with what Hank, Julie, and Lindsey were all saying. I mean, there is obviously room for change in our current school system. Our children are being taught to fit into a mold most of the time. There are very few teachers who actually will stick their heads out and do something that might be considered controversial to the public or other teachers. I certainly plan on being one of these types of teachers. One of the reasons that I am becoming a teacher is to do all that I can to improve the system. I want to improve upon the things that my own teachers have done in the past, but also take what I have learned from them in order to develop my own teaching style. I think that when we have more people who are prepared to stick their heads out and break the mold, we will have a much better time teaching and allowing our students to enjoy learning and not think of it so much as a chore.