No one likes a cheater...but I'm pretty sure no one likes the tests, either!

(re-printed from It's Not All Flowers and Sausages)

This article was sent to me via email today.  In a nutshell, it discusses an investigation of the Atlanta public schools in which it was discovered there was rampant cheating on standardized tests.  They say at least 178 teachers and principals, most of whom have confessed, were involved in the cheating.  Here's a quote from the article, "A culture of fear, intimidation and retaliation existed in the district, which led to a conspiracy of silence, he said in a prepared statement. “There will be consequences,” Mr. Deal said."  (Mr. Deal is the governor of Atlanta.)  Consequences like dismissals and maybe criminal charges.  And, if I may be so bold as to make a bit of a prediction here, teacher bashing.  I mean, it's open season on us teachers lately, no?

Granted, these people should not have been cheating.  Cheating blows.  I hate cheating.  I hated dealing with cheating in my classroom.  All the long discussions about losing gracefully and being a good sport and blah blah blah...which I totally know is beneficial but really I just wanted to say, "Cheating is a waste of time and energy and it always catches up to you, so just go sit over there and stop playing if you're going to ruin our fun."  Whether it's little friends cheating at a math game to win, well, to win nothing, or adults cheating on standardized tests, I think we can all agree it's just wrong.

But just like I had to squelch my desire to simply stick cheaters off to the side and deal with the larger problem, so do these adults responsible for educating Atlanta's youth.  We can't just bash the teachers and the principals.  (Although clearly many are tempted to grab flaming torches and beat us when we're down.)  We have to look at the larger problem.  What about this culture of fear that has been created for adults working in schools?  What about this obsession with quantitative data and test scores and seemingly nothing else?  What about all the studies that negate the usefulness of this data when it is abused as we so love abusing it today?  What about all that? 

As I sit here typing this blog, I'm almost sick of myself for just engaging in this debate.  I am so sick of test scores.  I am so sick of the blame.  Most of all, I'm so sick of bitching about all of it.  (Okay, I secretly love bitching about many things, but even I have my limits.)  Instead of continuing to talk and talk and talk about test scores and graphs and standardized tests, why don't we just change the conversation?  Yes, I mean us, we, teachers, THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY HAVE AN IMPACT ON CHILDREN EACH AND EVERY DAY...let's just change it.  Stop talking about the tests.  Yes, they exist.  Yes, they are being abused.  Yes, they are out of control.  So let's just move on and talk about something else like how we want our classrooms to be run, what we want our little friends to get out of their time with us, what we feel are the true purposes of school and how we can achieve those.

What do you think?  Easier said than done?  Has the pressure and fear consumed us all? 

Sunday Stealing: The Plaid Hat Meme

Cheers to all of us thieves!
1. When showering, do you start the water and then get in, or get in then start the water?
Start the water, then get in.

2. Have you ever showered with someone of the opposite sex?
Awkward question...but yes.

3. Were you ever been forced to shower with one of your siblings?
No!! I have an older brother, so I'm pretty sure that would have been inappropriate.

4. Have you ever dropped your soap on your foot?
Amongst other things...

5. How old do people say you look?
They are usually pretty accurate - 25.

6. How old do you act?
School-year-me is pretty old and boring.
Summer-me is much more fun...

7. What’s the last song you sang?
Rolling in the Deep by Adele. I rock that tune.

8. Have you recently become a member of anything?
Summer Book Club!

9. What are your plans for next weekend?
On Friday I am taking a good friend to the doctor in OKC. On Saturday, the hubs and I are taking the evil offspring to OKC for a long weekend. Movies, White Water, laser tag, horseback riding, etc.

10. Do you kiss with your eyes open or closed? Closed

11. Whats the sexiest thing about Sarah Palin?
Her absence.

12. Who’s the sexiest famous woman alive?
Other than the one answering this blog?? Probably no one.

13. Who’s the sexiest famous man alive?
Kevin Spacey, Mark Teixeira, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake...I could name several.

14. Does your family have a crazy uncle?
Not really in my family, but my husband's crew is full of nuts.

15. Have you ever smuggled something into another country?
Not anything illegal.

16. Do you live in a city with a good sports team?
Ha!! You're joking, right?? We have an awesome boys' basketball team, an incredible baseball team, and an undefeated 3rd/4th grade football team. Once you become an adult in Woodward, your athletic talents cease to exist.

17. What is the most unusual?
I do not understand this question. Are you stoned?

18. How do feel about the Goth people? They are goth-tastic. I wish I could wear that much eyeliner and not be called a trollop.

19. Can you fix or your significant other your own car?
Of course I can. I drive it to the shop and write them a check. Problem fixed.

20. Would you want to kill Casey Anthony yourself if you were guaranteed to get away with it?
No. I think the woman is guilty as hell, but I'd never kill someone.

360 Degrees Longitude - One Family's Journey Around the World

I finished reading our latest book club selection a couple of weeks ago. 360 Degrees Longitude (345 pages) is a memoir of John Higham and his family during the year they spent traveling around the world. From the book cover:

After more than a decade of planning, John Higham and his wife September bid their high-tech jobs and suburban lives good-bye, packed up their home, and set out with their two children, ages eight and eleven, to travel around the world. In the course of the next 52 weeks, they crossed 24 time zones, visited 28 countries, and experienced a lifetime of adventures. 


Making their way around the workd, the Highams discovered more than just different foods and cultures; they also learned such diverse things as a Chilean mall isn't the best place to get your ears pierced, and that elephants appreciate flowers just as much as the next person. But most importantly, they learned about each other, and just how much a family can weather if they do it together. 


While this wasn't a book I would have selected myself (I'm not a memoir kind of gal), I am glad that I read it. I am a travel enthusiast, and I was instantly intrigued with the idea of taking a year away from "life" to explore the globe. I was also curious about how this would work traveling with such young children. When we travel, we can barely make it to Seiling, OK (35 miles) without stopping for bathroom breaks, snacks, drinks, etc. I would NEVER consider even a cross-neighborhood bicycle ride with my children, much less one that would take me across several continents. I have to give it to the Highams, they have some cojones!!

Unfortunately for me, this book doesn't hit the five-star mark. The most memorable aspect of the entire novel was the comedic tone and wit that emanates from the author's voice. Higham is remarkably humorous (who knew rocket scientists had a sense of humor?) and relates his tales with such hilarity that I frequently found myself laughing out loud. He weaves journals from his family members into his own narrative, providing the reader with a multi-dimensional view of the family's adventures. A true scientist, Higham utilizes Google Earth to provide the reader with an opportunity to share in his family's travels. By accessing Google Earth, the reader is able to locate each destination along the way, view photographs of every stop, and learn a little more about the world. While I thought this was an incredible concept, I was unable to get the application to work, and within 15 minutes of struggling with it, I lost interest and just wanted to read.

Pinpointing exactly why I didn't care for the book is somewhat difficult. Obviously, it is a memoir, so there is no true conflict or climax, but I really found the book to drag on in places and to be a bit too repetitive. Travel, tour, pack, repeat. After a while, I found myself merely skimming the pages...blah, blah, blah. It just wasn't very exciting.

I also found myself questioning the believability of the book. The children never seemed to bicker, the adults never required "alone time," and everything between Higham and his wife was just too.... perfect? At one point in the book, Higham becomes lost in a strange country, only to find that his wife has left signs posted all about town, giving him directions back to their hotel. Really? This was just a little too hard for me to swallow.

What I did like about this book was that it validated my reasons for leading student travel groups. Higham clearly understands that reading about an event in a book or watching a Hollywood re-enactment simply does not compare to having your feet planted firmly on the ground where the event took place.

"We had been reading about the 1944 invasion as part of the kids' homework, but there was a difference between holding a book in your hand and walking in and through the bunkers, foxholes, and decrepit equipment. Even though more than six decades had passed, somehow there was an echo of the thundering bombs and a whiff of gunpowder that was palpable in the otherwise serene landscape." 


All criticism aside, I applaud John and September (his wife) for their adventurous spirit. I cannot imagine walking away from my life for 365 days to circumnavigate the globe with my children. Given the opportunity to take on such a quest, I would have selected Paris, Rome, Berlin, Shanghai, Sydney, and Dublin. Sleeping in a tent and slumming it in third-world countries would not have happened, and I never would have left my children alone in aiports or sent them to the top of the Eiffel Tower alone! Obviously the Higham family has a hippie mentality that I have yet to embrace, but that is just fine with me!

Kindle me this, Kindle me that...

My name is Amy, and I am a book-aholic. Reading is my drug of choice. Simply entering a book store causes my heart to race, my palms to sweat, my mouth to water, and my ability to make rational decisions to completely fly out the door. My husband frequently jokes that if we lived in a larger city, he wouldn't have to worry about me staying out late at the clubs.  He knows if I was out late he'd likely find me hidden-away in the corner of the neighborhood bookstore, latest novel in hand, eyes glazed-over and spittle forming at the corners of my mouth. Bookstore clerks would be my new BFF's, and new bookshelves would have to be erected in our home to store "my precious." He refers to my novels as my "boyfriends," and jokes that if we're ever hit by a tornado, they'll be able to find our house by the remaining pile of books. That's why I was shocked two years ago at Christmas when he bought me the latest e-reader, the Amazon Kindle.

To be perfectly honest, I was skeptical about the Kindle. I'm a real "book-lover." It's not just the stories that I desire - it's the actual book. I love the smell of book glue, the crisp feel of the pages between my fingers, and the weight of the book in my hands. I relish the excitement of coming home, new book in hand, admiring the cover, and the anticipation of where the story will take me. I take pride in my vast personal library - a collection of books started when I was only fourteen! Could I really give all that up to read books electronically??....

Absolutely. I love my Kindle!! I honestly think it's the best gift my husband has ever given me, and I am constantly telling people how great it is. Personally, I think Amazon should put me on their payroll or give me a percentage of the sales, because I'm pretty sure I've convinced several doubtful people to purchase the Kindle in the past year or two!

One of the main reasons the Kindle is so fabulous is because Kindle books are actually cheaper than the hard copies. For example, my book club is preparing to read the novel Room by Emma Donoghue. The Kindle version of the novel is priced at $9.99 (no shipping/handling necessary). As a new release, the hard copy ran $24.99 on Amazon.com, and that is before shipping and handling!! On this one book alone, a reader can save over $15!! Of course, you have to consider the purchase price of the device ($139.00). At this rate, the Kindle pays for itself after the purchase of about ten newly released novels, and then actual savings on the novels begins.

For me, the best thing about the Kindle is that I have access to novels INSTANTLY!! I am a true night owl and something of an insomniac, so it's not unusual to find me up at two in the morning finishing my newest book. If this particular book happens to be part of a series, I want the sequel now! I live in a small town in northwest Oklahoma, so unless Wal-Mart happens to have it (and they usually don't), I'd have to order the book online and then wait on the USPS (aka the slowest delivery service known to mankind). With the Kindle, I simply access the Amazon store, select the book, and BOOM - there it is!! No postage, no waiting, no wasted gasoline, and I can buy the books without ever changing out of my pajamas or brushing my teeth!! Could anything be more perfect???

The Kindle also gives me the advantage of having a new release the minute it drops. Last year, I pre-ordered Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I anxiously waited up the night of it's release and at midnight - SHAZAM!! There it was on my Kindle, ready to be devoured!! I had read the entire book by 5am, while my non-Kindle owning friends sadly waited nearly a week for their hard copies to be delivered (and they paid more than I did!) With the Kindle, gone are the days of hovering around the front of Wal-Mart in the middle of the night, waiting for the newest Harry Potter book, shoving-away small children, and visciously fighting the crowds just to get a copy!

For Kindle owners, there are no lines, no snotty bookstore clerks telling you the book you want is old and out-of-stock, no waiting for packages that take an eternity to arrive, and no need to drive two hours to the closest bookstore!

Of course, there are still those who argue that traditional books are better, and that is fine with me. Let them continue to enjoy their old-fashioned, hard copy books and their eight-track players.