So it finally happened -- I was interviewed live on Fox and Friends by Gretchen Carlson about opting my son out of NCLB testing. It turned out to be quite an experience. There were lots of mix-ups, but in the end, not a bad experience. Let me explain.
My "opt out" co-conspirator, Michele Gray was contacted by FOX to be interviewed on Fox and Friends. After all, it was Michele who was featured on the CNN segment that documented our boycott of PSSAs (NCLB testing in PA). Michele was unable to do the interview, but I quickly asked her to pass my name on to the producer (Our grass is just starting to root). It worked. A FOX producer contacted me on Wednesday morning and explained to me that they were interested in doing a live interview. FOX wanted to ask more questions concerning our reasons for boycotting NCLB and they wanted to do the interview at 6:40 a.m. on Thursday (the next day). Never having been interviewed live on national TV, I had no idea of the process. How would I get to New York? Where was I going to stay? Who would teach my class on Thursday?
Those worries were quickly eliminated when the producer told me that they were going to send me to a local TV news station with a satellite hook up. This was actually a relief to hear. My only question -- Where was the station and how do I get there? Quickly answered. The producer would locate a local station with a satellite hook up, make the arrangements, and a car would pick me up at 5:30 in the morning to take me to the interview. Huh? A car for me? Really? Cool! All of this was confirmed with a detailed email from a car service. I was really going to be picked up at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday. My only responsibility was to be ready. No problem.
However, within two hours I received a phone call from FOX. My interview was being "bumped" to Friday morning. On Friday FOX called me again to tell me that my interview was going to be "bumped" again. Instead of Friday I was now going to be interviewed on Monday. I spent most of the weekend going through 2,000 different questions that Gretchen might ask me. I went to bed on Sunday night and tossed until about 4:30 am and then woke up at 5:00 and met the driver in my driveway at 5:30 a.m. We got to the local TV news station and the one person at the station had no idea who I was or why I was there. Finally Jody arrived. Jody was the engineer hired by FOX to set up the satellite link and wire me with a headset and microphone. He also told me to where to look during the interview and to listen to the instructions in my ear piece. Jody went out to the satellite truck and soon he called me through the earpiece. Jody said all the technical issues were set and that I should hear FOX and Friends in my earpiece. I did. Jody told me to relax for a few minutes. So I sat in my chair looking where I was supposed to look, listening to Fox and Friends when suddenly I hear Jody say, "Tim. 30 seconds." I started to count and just as I reached 40 Jody walked in the door and told me that I had been "bumped." Really? Again?
The driver took me home and I updated my Facebook status to let all my "friends" know that I was "bumped" again. I would be interviewed on Tuesday now. That night for some reason I had no problem sleeping. Maybe I was convinced this interview was never going to happen and therefore I finally relaxed.
On Tuesday morning, the driver was waiting in my driveway. "We are going to a different studio" the driver said as I opened the car door. The satellite truck at the previous station needed a part so I was going to be linked up at a different location. Again, at this point I really did not care. Just take me to the site. I'm sure I'll be bumped again.
This time I met Dan the engineer. The arrangement was a little different. He had a large director's chair set up for me surrounded by lights and in front of the chair was a large monitor. When I sat down I noticed that I could see myself in the monitor. Dan wired me up (ear piece and microphone) and told me he would be back. He was going to "link up" with FOX. Within minutes I could hear the show in my earpiece. I was listening to the show when all of a sudden I hear, "Professor Slekar?" Yes. "Can you count to ten?" 1, 2, 3, ... "Great. You've been 'pushed.' You'll hear Gretchen in 30 seconds." I had no time to ask the one important question that Jody had told me about right away yesterday. Where was I supposed to look? Something told me I should not look at the monitor, but I wasn't sure. Then I heard, "Professor Slekar your interview was cut to 90 seconds." Huh? I was supposed to have 3 entire minutes. Didn't they know that I had been rehearsing this interview for 4 days now? How in the world was I supposed to cut down all I was going to say?
I hear the director counting down. I don't know where to look and my interview time is cut in half. The rest is now history. Check it out for yourself. Try not to get distracted by my shifty eyes. Remember, I had no idea where to look.
So how did I do? Don't comment on the shifty eyes. However, considering all I had was 90 seconds, I think I was really able to jam in some important points. I'm sure this helped the NCLB boycott movement, because when I got back to my office I had a mess of emails from people all over America and 13 phone messages. All were positive and thanked me for taking a stand.
Well, even though this blog may seem a bit comical the reality is that our little movement against NCLB is really taking off. I just wished I would have had my other 90 seconds, because listed below are all of my "talking points."
So based on the interview and my talking points what did I miss or what do you wish I would have said?
Follow Timothy D. Slekar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/slekar
"WE" do not need to "evaluate student learning and teacher effectiveness." We need to treat teachers as professionals, and they need to behave like professionals. Teachers should be "accountable" to their students, to their students' families, and to the community who pays the bill--not to the federal government. They should be collaborating with the other professionals in the building, spending time in each other's classrooms, not hiding by themselves behind closed doors (and they should have the time for collaboration like they do in the other highy successful countries that we keep getting compared to). Administrators should be doing THEIR JOB visiting classrooms and supporting their staff. And the state DOEs should be doing on-site visits and evaluations (like they do in other highly successful countries that we keep getting compared to) rather than trying to judge the merit of the school systems by abusing our youth through the wasteful testing programs now in place.
Look at Finland--they have almost no standardized tests. The families know what their children are learning at school because they TALK to the teachers and they TALK to their children. (What a concept!)
Trying to "educate ourselves out of poverty" was a way for conservative politicians to avoid actually paying for programs to help people in poverty--it only works for a few people--mostly those for whom poverty is a recent problem--not usually for people in generational poverty.
You might enjoy reading the tale of the testing boycott I led back in 2003!
http://bit.ly/gQe8Jk
We have Keystone Exams coming down the pike next year, so about the time we organize against PSSA's, Pennsylvania intends to unveil the next educational sideshow act in the name of "academic rigor." Wonder what boxes we'll rewrite curriculum into this time...
Great to see that this movement's getting plenty of bipartisan attention! My wife and I are both public school English teachers who have been teaching for 13+ years. After some e-mail dialogue with Michele about a month ago, my wife (who also left teaching in our public school after 11 years there) decided to pull two of our children out of testing. It's an "interesting" situation, since I still teach in the same district in which my step-children attend school. In removing them from testing, we've also affected the AYP of the very district in which my wife used to teach -- the same one in which I'm currently employed. The fact that districts are penalized for parents who exercise their parental rights is a rather sick concept and one that, at best, encourages districts to hide such opportunities for parental involvement. At worst, districts are encouraged to hide the truth from the parents and children they claim to serve. Thanks for your updates, and conservative or liberal, we're all on the same page here!
Way to not let Gretchen get a word in edgewise; I'm sure she would have loved to take the opportunity to waste more of your precious time with idiotic questions about the SAT. (Was she for real with that?? And then to claim in the next breath that she knows all about NCLB testing?)
When I first heard this I was really confused, wouldn't that be a last-resort measure?
“teachers and their unions are using the collective bargaining process in ways that help kids, boost the teaching profession and promote the public good.”
American Federation of Teachers
Makes more sense that parents, teachers and their “collective-bargaining” power would be the way to address problems.
I asked your friend assistant professor, blogger Shaun Johnson. (“By the way it was you that suggested the boycott in the first place.”Mr.Sleker)
“Supportive but Now Leary, of Testing Boycott”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shaun-johnson/supportive-but-now-leery-_b_840618.html
“In my several years in teacher preparation, going in and out of dozens of elementary schools, not once have I seen a union rep or heard any discussion of union matters.”
I was shocked! Parents most effective tool for bringing about change or improvement, parent-teacher collaboration, DOESN'T exist!
Then I asked him, “do you teach pre-service teachers about unions, collective-bargaining, union constitutions, by-law, original union principles, grievance procedures, Decertifying..?
“No, of all the things I have to cover, I don't have the time to discuss unions. They're adults, they can find out for themselves.”
Wasn't this the real problem at your parent-teacher conference “gone bad”?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-d-slekar/good-teacher-gone-bad_b_825444.html
Shouldn't you and all the other teachers blog about UNION-REFORM??
Parent: Opinions?
Kids:(your reply) yea, and the dog ate my homework.
Parent:(bullets) What do you think of this list of problems schools face?
Kids: I want to see his comments on Alye's video. Corporal Punishment?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/01/alye-pollacks-bullying-video_n_843649.html
Parent:Nothing.
Kids:Salesman! (click,door closing as girls leave)
Kids: Bill Gates? College dropout? I know, he wants a giant monitor in front of the class with his face on it. He'll say, “You will buy my software. Take your medicine and eat your food so you can grow up to buy my products (others walking around like robots). Is that an iphone in your pocket? I have joined the “dark force”. I gave your teachers a lobotomy, they can no longer think for themselves. My turn.."
Parent:That's enough.
Kids: Who is Arne Duncan?
Parent:That's the guy President Obama put in charge of all the schools.
Kids:Silence...(rip, copies of your articles being shredded.)
Parent:Put the teabags back in the cupboard...I don't want to see any tea-bagger tricks!
Kids:We want to see pictures of Knut The Polar Bear.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/19/knut-polar-bear-dead-died_n_837966.html#s255467&title=Picture_taken_28
Parent:Get back here and pick-up all this paper.(click)
Sorry, but I've never met a teenager that didn't like President Obama.
Thanks. Have you seen our FB site? http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/home.php?sk=group_204489759567686&ap=1
Tim
Although the SAT is a totally different kind of test, many colleges are beginning to not require them as they, too, understand the limitations of one test score. Actually, the real test takes place when the students go to work and have happy lives dependent on more than just numbers.
Secondly, I would add to your wonderful list above that the 21st century workplace requires that students speak clearly, collaborate, research, innovate, and utilize technology for a specific and appropriate purpose. No standardized test can test those important skills.
Something else to keep in mind, standardized tests are one kind of assessment. I prefer to use locally-developed, real-world, performance-based assessments. They tell me so much more.
Consider yourself lucky to have only had NCLB for 10 years. I've been teaching in Texas for 18 and have never known a career without testing. I have, however, known a career where I just teach so my students will enjoy learning and the scores follow.
Thanks for your voice and efforts. Keep vying for that media publicity!