All names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
What is the lesson here? I think to myself as I look into the expectant eyes of twenty-one 5th graders. We have gathered on the carpet – quickly. Always quickly. Keep the pace high. Keep them guessing. No downtime.
“All right, everyone. Let’s talk business,” I say. They are ready for anything. They want to laugh. I do, too. I can’t. They can’t. Not now. I have to tell them that I will be out tomorrow – Friday, which means that we won’t be having our spelling test as scheduled. It’s also a bad idea to move it to Monday because we are already behind on our Socratic seminar, which will have to be rescheduled for that day. Can’t get behind on grades. Grades, grades, grades. I don’t want to grade them. I want to teach them.
“Okay, guys. Here’s the deal. My allergies, as you know, are killing me…”
Silent agreement is a habit. They show it by sticking out their thumb and pinky fingers while shaking their hand back and forth. Nilüfer has honest eyes. She agrees silently. I can see she knows some bad news is coming.
“Two things, then: First, I have called in a sub for tomorrow. Please don’t ask who it will be. You already know the expectations remain the same regardless of who’s in charge. Second, because I will be out, what will that mean for our schedule for tomorrow…?”
Some are already checked out, projecting themselves into the future, trying to determine what they will be able to get away with while I’m out. Others are considering what I have said, trying to figure out the answer. Carolin’s lightbulb goes off. “We won’t have a spelling test tomorrow!” she exclaims. Groans and cheers and sighs and questions abound.
Teacher voice. “And so…” I wait for the noise to die down. It takes a second. “…it would be a bad idea to move the spelling test to Monday because we are already falling behind in other places. There is no time to postpone this. Therefore…” I give think time. It’s already dawned on them. Nilüfer seems to have had this figured out beforehand. Maybe someone from my previous section told her. She blurts it out. “We’re taking it today.”
My wife sometimes struggles to spell multisyllabic words, as do most of the adults in my life. I accept that we live in an autocorrected society. I pick up typos in the New York Times constantly. I even wrote to the editor once to let them know… they never got back to me.
What I’m getting at is this: although I may be a hypercritical spelling enthusiast, would it be my first choice to assess whether these 10- and 11-year-olds studied the district’s chosen list of spelling words against their wishes? Not exactly. Would they celebrate if we cancelled spelling tests as a concept? Probably. Will they have spelling tests next year as 6th graders? Nope. Should I emphasize this? Hell no.
At the start of the school year, in fact, speaking on behalf of my 5th grade ILA team, I brought a novel idea to my supervisor, the approachable Mrs. Alice. I didn’t mince words. “Why do we have to have spelling tests?”
She smiled painfully, empathizing. “According to my supervisor, spelling is the easiest way for parents to help their kids at home. It helps them feel they are contributing.” I love and deeply respect Mrs. Alice as a leader and as a person. But her words stung. I had a thousand rebuttals, but I kept it professional. It wasn’t her call. We just have to do it.
Back in the classroom of indignant 5th graders, I am eager to quell their urgent protests with a bargain before any pouting sets in. Some students are already working hard to seem unfazed because they know this is a bit of a test. How positive can you stay when things don’t go your way? is the underlying lesson here. There is always an underlying lesson.
“I want you to know that I understand this feels unfair. I am with you. But I am not going to throw anyone into this unprepared, which means that I am prepared to give you 10 minutes for studying your spelling list however you choose before we take the test.”
This visibly relieves much of their tension. My sympathy for their stress is dampened by our common awareness that they should already basically be prepared for this; an extra day would not make much of a difference if they had already studied. Several have.
“And I value your voice, so we are going to put this up to a vote. You may choose to vote to postpone the test until Monday, at the risk of getting behind on Socratic seminar, among other things. Or you can choose to vote to study now and get this done today, so that you don’t have to be thinking about it over the weekend. You already know my preference, but now you will decide. Majority rules. Eyes closed, heads down.”
I think that spelling is not the most valuable skill I am assessing today. Maybe it’s my students’ ability to be resilient and face new challenges with grit.
We vote anonymously, and 100% of students vote to take the test today. I am relieved, but I don’t let it on. They are eager to get going. “Go,” is all they need, and they move fast.
Most students make a 100. I hope that, somehow, the grade reflects a positive aspect about themselves in it. Their preparedness, for example. Their adaptability. Or their resilience.
I used Spell Check to write this post.
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