The other day in class, Dr. Turner said something about teachers teaching to the test. She asked if we teach so that students can pass a standardized test. So I started thinking....NO! Of course not. At least I don't. I want to teach so that I can help children, give them the tools to succeed in life and to be happy. I want to teach kids that go on to make changes and reforms. I want to help students become aware of themselves, the world around them, and how they can take part in it. I want them to learn history, music, science, math, literature, art, health; not just so they will have this knowledge under their belt, but so they can use it to make a difference. Somewhere along the way, someone said, lets give them this test to see if they are learning what they need to know. Well, those test creators or administrators limited the "what they need to know" category and caused teachers to focus on their criterion for knowledge. I will teach my children the things they need to know to pass the test, but I will do much more than that. I want them to have the deeper knowledge and understanding that we have talked about. Teaching to the test won't give them these things, we must teach them what they really need to know!

This is a wonderful point. The material that students are tested on is just a fraction of the knowledge that we, as teachers, should instill in our students.

I think every teacher should have your attitude, and the good ones definitely do. Unfortunately many teachers are not interested in going the extra mile to really give their students the education they deserve.

That is an awesome point and I am sure that is the way everyone wants to be as a teacher, but we also have to realize that our jobs want us to make sure the students pass the "test" and wouldnt the safest way be to just teach the test? I know I will try to be the teacher that does amazing lessons, but they take a lot time and what happens if I spend to much time on that lesson and it is not even tested on the exam? I wasted time and didnt get a chance to cover more material, so there has to be a mix between great lessons and just teaching the test.

I agree with Zachary that teachers should have a balance between teaching to the test and teaching a lesson about something that you feel your students should know more about. I am not sure how to achieve this balance and feel that it will take some practice and time to be able to do so. But in the end I think it is worth to be able to think that as a teacher you not only gave your students the information they needed to know to pass the standardized tests but that they were taught important things using fun lessons that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

We are going to need a lot of practice to learn what concepts we need to focus on and which concepts can be taught so they can know it for a standardized test. What I am getting nervous about is my first year of teaching because I do not feel like I am going to be prepared right away to know which content to focus on and which can just be drilled and move on. I feel like I am learning a lot of concepts in Mathematics, but I haven't had a lot of experience in the classroom in teaching those concepts and I am a senior, so I think my first classes are going to be at a huge disadvantage just because of my lack of teaching time.

Honestly, I feel like if a teacher provides a throughout and INTERESTING experience in the classroom, and doesn't teach JUST to the test, students will do better. I think one reason students do poorly on tests sometimes is because there is SO MUCH pressure for the student to do well. If teachers would not only what is on the exam but also what is interesting to the students, or even teach the test in a way that is interesting to the students, both the student and the teacher would have a much better experience in schools.

I completely agree with Whitney in that students need to be interested in a topic in order to fully comprehend it. I think that it is a teacher's job to present information in a way that helps students make connections to what they are learning. For example, in my 9th grade biology class we received approval to bring in several pets in order to learn about them. One boy brought in a snake, another brought a lizard, and one brought a rabbit. I will never forget what I learned that day because the animals helped me relate to and care about what we were learning.

That is awesome that you had a teacher that was creative enough to do that, but what if that material is not on the test? I am worried that I will do fun and interesting stuff, but the test makers do not think it is as important as I do and do not ask questions on it. That is why I think it is important to teach to the test along with going more in depth into some areas.

I agree with everything that has been said throughout this discussion. I do not want to be one of those teachers that teach to the test either. I think that good teachers do not teach to the test. I think they can get the material out there by not just teaching strictly to a test and not making it interseting for the students. The test just make teachers way too limited to what they can teach and how to teach.

I totally agree that we do not want to be teachers to teach to a test. However the truth is that students "worth" are measured by the standardized tests. No matter how we feel about about the fairness of these tests our students still have to take them and still are measured by the results.
I think as teachers that we need to teach to the test but make the information meaningful to the students. We could be a wonderful teacher and our children could know so many wonderful things but if they cant pass these tests then that affects their future.
And while I belive that the tests that children are taking are biased and they put so much pressure on them and do not accurately measure their knowledge, we still need some kind of test to ensure that students are all on the same track and are learning the kinds of things that they need for their future.

This is in response to Zachary's comment: I share your worries about whether or not the material you go into depth about will be on the test. I think that as a teacher you need to make sure that the activities that you do help students to understand the broader concept of the unit. For example, you may not be tested on lizards specifically, but your students will be guaranteed to remember that they are reptiles and the reasons why they are classified as a reptile. Doing activities like what my teacher did can help students understand a lot about the broader concepts that will be on the tests.