The hottest ticket in town this Saturday morning was the CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test™). Leftcoast is updating his teaching credentials this month. The process begins here.
A Lincoln, a BMW, another Infiniti, and two Acuras, all evenly spaced and
taking turns in the lead. We carved up Route 5 and for the first time
ever I actually had the cruise control set over 100 mph.
[This of course is fiction, the picture was
taken on a closed course by a professional driver, wink.]
This lasted only 30 minutes but the feeling will last a lifetime. The
world speeding by while I'm wrapped in the comfort and music of my jet black pod.
I was having fun and getting right with what I needed to do next. Out of work
and getting very itchy, I called the local high school last month to see
how to get on the list of substitute teachers. I have a degree and I
was going to teach when I got out of college in 1990. "That's fine", I
was told but now teachers have to also take certification tests. Take
the test then I can teach in California. I registered online and my
ticket arrived a few days later. December 7, 2002 8:30 a.m. seat
number 00207.
I
arrived early but not early enough. The parking lot was full.
Unusual for a Saturday morning at a local high school. How many people
were taking this test I wondered. Over 900 at the location I was sent
to, amazing considering this scene was being repeated all over the state.
In true standardized testing fashion, number two pencils and a photo ID were
the only items we were supposed to bring to the test. I did the pretests online
and scored well so I was ready to meet my potential peers with confidence.
I graduated over 10 years ago from college and things have really changed so
I was nervous at first, until the pretests. The questions were all very
simple and it seemed like the math questions stopped at 9th grade Algebra,
huh...that's it? Then I was reminded that the tests were designed to
set a minimum standard for teachers. The pretest did not prepare me
for the really frightening part of the test experience; signing in.
I thought it was simple enough. My ticket had a seat
number printed at the top. At the test site a large poster listed the
range of seat numbers and the corresponding rooms for taking the test.
Once in the room the chairs were labeled in numerical sequence, find the
chair with 00207 and sit. This was a major hurdle for many of the test
takers. People wandered in and out of the rooms and even if they found
the correct room they still managed to miss the chair numbers. Jeez,
these are the future teachers? The test ticket also spelled out the
need for a photo ID and no cell phones. No cell phones period, please
leave them in your car or at home. This was apparently another
hardship for many. I have a hard time with someone who can't be away
from their phone for 4 hours on a Saturday morning. Listen if you're a
heart surgeon or waiting on a kidney schedule a different test date.
Help me. We haven't gotten to the part where we label our answer
sheet with pre-printed bar code labels. Again it was a matching game,
the test booklet bar code label goes?...Right...The test booklet.
Here's another, the answer key bar code label goes where?...Right...The
answer key. Apparently this was post graduate stuff, as I looked
around I saw labels on the desk, labels upside down, I even saw a label
stuck to one guys forehead as he tried to figure out which item on his desk
was the answer key. Hey Earl here's a hint, look for the paper with
all the little circles. So anywho once we got past the cell phone
issues and the label massacre the test began. Now I can't really say
anything about the test or the questions. I signed a serious looking testing
agreement.
Here's what I can tell you though. The questions were
all very politically correct. Group questions that included Anglo
names (John, Jane, etc.) were balanced with non-Anglo names (Thaoi,
Suhudminder, Chui-Sui, etc.). Every single time no exceptions.
Also I noticed that traditional sex roles were totally ignored if
professions were mentioned. The nurse was Pradesh and the Doctor was
Susan, the VP was a woman and the assistant was a man, and so it went.
I am sorry I can't say more about the tests but I want to respect the
agreement. If you are really interested it's only $45 bucks.
Looking around the classroom I noticed that the posters were
all of characters from To Kill a Mockingbird. These were great
colorful and insightful works of art. A great book too and a staple of
the education system, classic character driven story and excellent companion
movie. Gregory Peck don't you know. I tried to think of the last
time anybody in this room had read the book.
Probably me, last summer.
It's a quick read now and I always spot some new piece of symbolism or well
crafted line of prose. I guess the trick is to teach children the joy
of discovering. Discovery works for the past, present, or future.
All three areas require constant discovery, no waiting, step right up and
discover something from any or all; past, present, or future.
There's room for everybody.
I came to take a test and I learned more about the
state of
education than any article or class could ever cover. The
future wave of enthusiastic teachers and the thoughtful materials created by the students
illustrate a strong point. The future is bright as long as we can
keep the kids interested. My advice is not to rely on the schools for
this alone. Teachers are just normal people like you and me and they
may not always be the best and brightest but they are making an effort to
make a difference. I say style points should count. The real
responsibility belongs at home, answer those pesky questions kids ask.
If you don't know try Google.com or better yet pack up the
SUVMiniVanMicroOffRoadTurbo4WheeldriveStorageShed and visit your local
library. I think testing teachers is a good idea but please send
junior to school with more than his lunch money.
Peace,
Sean