District-Mandated Child Abuse

Our students took the TAKS test this week. There numerous rules and regulations brought down by the state to ensure fairness and equality. If these rules are not followed to the letter, then many teachers/administrators risk losing their certificates.

Truth be told, most of these rules and regulations are very reasonable and do not require ridiculous measures to implement. However, far too often, schools go above and beyond the call of duty in their enforcement of said regulations in an attempt to be EXTRA cautious. This creates an entirely new list of sub-regulations that I have deemed the District-Mandated Child Abuse.

Here are but a few of the sub-regulations for students:

1. Students may not bring any items from home.
2. Students must remain COMPLETELY silent all day long. This includes break and lunch time.
3. Students may not wear a watch during testing.
4. No recess.
5. No specialty classes (i.e. PE, Art or Music)
6. Any child who does not finish by the 3:00 bell will be moved to an alternate testing room where they must work until they are finished (up to 6:00 if needed).

I don't know about you but I would go crazy if I had to sit in one seat for 7 hours with my only break being a 30 minute lunch where I was seated amongst my friends, but could not talk with them. Try this with a school full of 8-11 year olds and you start to see my point. And don't forget about our little 5-year-old kinder students who are across the hall from the testing environment. They have to speak only in whispers all day when they are used to singing and dancing their way through the curriculum.

I think kids dread the testing day more for the pending sub-regulations than for the nervousness over the actual test.

Next year we may move to Chinese Water Torture for any child who is not finished by the time the 3:00 bell rings. (Insert evil laugh here)