Another American Hero
In 2008 I wrote about two teachers who jeopardized their jobs because they wouldn’t subject their students to high stakes tests.
Doug Ward was a special education teacher in North Carolina and refused to administer the tests to his students with disabilities.
Carl Chew, a 6th grade science teacher in Seattle refused to subject his students to the Washington State test, the WASL.
Today, a new teacher has stood up to the national testing insanity, this time a Kindergarten teacher in Florida. She refuses to waste a week of instructional time giving 45 minute one-on-one computer-based tests to her students.
It’s not about me, says 59-year-old Susan Bowles, this is “about teachers all across the country who are fed up with testing and who can’t teach their students.”
by Lauren McCauley, Common Dreams staff writer
Fifty-nine-year old Susan Bowles is joining the call of other educators who refuse to sacrifice critical learning for hours of high-stakes testing. (Photo: Sarah-ji)
Risking her job and life passion, a kindergarten teacher in Florida is taking a stand against the high-stakes takeover of the public school system by refusing to administer the state-mandated standardized test to her young students.In a letter posted to her personal Facebook page this weekend and later re-posted on the blog Opt Out Orlando, 59-year-old Susan Bowles of Gainesville, Florida explained how the FAIR assessment—which this year was revamped to be a computer-based test—is difficult to administer, unfairly tests the young students’ computer abilities, and ultimately consumes hours and hours of critical classroom time.Bowles wrote:This assessment is given one-on-one. It is recommended that both teacher and child wear headphones during this test. Someone has forgotten there are other five year olds in our care. There is no provision from the state for money for additional staff to help with the other children in the classroom while this testing is going on. A certified teacher has to give the test. If you estimate that it takes approximately 45 minutes per child to give this test and we have 18 students, the time it takes to give this test is 13 ½Another American Hero | Live Long and Prosper: