Tuesday TAKS Testing

I really don't like testing days. I am not sure how I feel about standardized tests. I know they're a pain and that most teachers these days simply teach to the test which generally means that learning suffers. But again, if there weren't a standardization of what students learn, then teachers may get away with being poor teachers and not really covering things that they do need to know. The problem is that when kids fail these tests, the teacher is blamed for it. It is the teacher's fault that students don't learn. I understand school districts wanting to raise the test scores and get those higher ratings, but what happens when you have a large number of apathetic students that don't care about anything? I am really amazed that our principal sent a a copy of an article that talks about the fact that it just might be the student's fault for failure to learn. (Which I tend to agree with.) Sure there are some teachers that aren't doing their jobs and have grown as apathetic as the students. I was there at one point. That is why I got out of teaching. It wasn't fun any more. It caused a great deal of stress. That is why I was apprehensive about coming back. So far the year hasn't been terrible. There have been some great moments and some frustrating ones. Overall, I think the kids here are good. Sure, there's a few that still need an attitude adjustment, but for the most part, they are decent.
The education system certainly needs reform, but I am at a loss as to what needs to be done. But teaching is a field that is underpaid, underappreciated and has a high rate of turnover. Students have changed. As grand as technology has been, I think it has created a lot of issues with students. Take for example my nephew. He cares about nothing other than drinking cokes, playing video games and the guitar. He rarely goes to school and doesn't care if he graduates. As long as there is entertainment at home, who needs an education?