Made a mistake yesterday. Well, I’m sure I made many, but one stood out. Actually, it was pointed out.

“Sy, did you mean to write, ‘availabable’?”

I certainly did not mean to write it. But I did. And I owned it. I left it up there the rest of the day, so my other classes could see it, too. We make and miss mistakes all the time, even English teachers, even English teachers who triple-double check for such mistakes. I made it. I missed. I owned it.

And as I reflect on it this morning, maybe that’s the more meaningful message from yesterday’s #MyRoomMessage. We make mistakes.

All year long, I have asked my kids to think of mistakes differently, to regard them as opportunities, not fatalities. Some mistakes, of course, carry more consequence than others, but it’s rarely the end of the road. We just get back on track and move forward. We live. We learn. We grow.

I hope my kids take that with them after they leave and continue down their own roads when our journey comes to an end, an end that is far too near. Gonna miss these lovely little humans. It’s really been a banner year. Mistakes and all.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…growing as writers as we seek and respond to feedback.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Thursday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.

You didn’t pass.

Had to share this news with a few kiddos yesterday. And though I tried to put it into perspective for them, telling them that it was not a defining moment in their lives, that it was just a test, and that they would eventually pass, it was still a hard conversation. It was still “rejection,” and rejection on any level…well, sucks.

He didn’t pass, but he can take an engine apart and put it together again–all by himself. I told him that mattered. A lot.

She didn’t pass. I wonder if the ongoing CPS intervention/investigation had anything to do with it. I told her, again, I am sorry for the trouble she and her family have endured this year.

She didn’t pass, but a look inside her portfolio from this year, would tell the tale of she did not fail. I reminded her of that and of how proud I am of her growth this year.

He didn’t pass. He doesn’t care. He has never passed. He quit caring a long time ago.

As I sit here thinking about my kiddos, I am struck by the absurdity of it all, for I find from my sixteen years now of state testing (in various forms) it is nothing more than a sorting mechanism, a way to separate “winners” and “losers.”

It has never–I repeat–never provided me with meaningful data to better my instruction. Seems odd, yes? Seems that such a mechanism should serve such an end, But it does not. And those who create and profit from such mechanisms work overtime to convince lawmakers and–educators, too–that without such a mechanism, we couldn’t measure learning. Horse hockey. I will give the lawmakers a little grace–a little, but I will grant no grace to educators. By now, we should know better. This mechanism neither informs nor improves. It sorts, tagging those who have suffered better the game of school, “winners,” and those who have not, “losers.” Kids are not pawns to move around the board. Let’s quit this game. We made the game, so we can change the game. Let’s quit playing pawns.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…growing as writers.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Wednesday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.