O rder too many
R eaders to
K ill time filling in
S paces with mindless compliancy? Do they
H ope students will magically
E xcel and someday
E xperience joy and
T rue
S uccess?
Worksheets?
Really?
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It's sickening!!!
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteI ask myself the same question. The acrostic seems a safe way to write through it without giving in to a rank.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you noticed the "safety" of this poem. I've been wanting to write it for a while and finally this seemed like the place, time, and genre to do it.
DeleteSometimes I worry that educational systems support worksheet teaching. Too many administrators don't understand the power of workshop teaching (nor the evils of worksheet teaching).
ReplyDeleteI hope that as you question the use of archaic teaching methods that involve worksheets you are also owning all you have done (and continue to do) to strengthen teaching in classrooms across the world.
Thank you. Because you're getting to know me, I'm sure you know I don't own the stuff you tell me too. ;) Thanks for the encouragement.
DeletePerfectly spoken!
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why others in charge do not know why they keep spending money to pay for programs that don't work. And then they blame the teachers. It is so frustrating to hear. Thanks for putting it all down so poetically, ironically too.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of the irony too...writing an acrostic with such rigid rules about worksheets with only one right answer!
DeleteThanks for your thoughts.
I especially loved the last two lines. What a perfect addition to the acrostic.
ReplyDeleteLet me stand up and cheer for this message!
ReplyDeleteShew! Thanks so much for your support. I was a little nervous about sharing this one.
ReplyDeleteEvery teacher I know rails against worksheets.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter spent an hour's homework time filling in worksheets.
How do we better practice our beliefs?
Thank goodness not all administrators favor worksheets - our supe calls them "shut up sheets"! Thanks for a great poem, Ruth!
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful response to a topic that has been nagging away on my soul for a looooooooooooong time. At my Orientation Meeting for parents for the past several year I say, "Have you ever known a worksheet to make you smarter?" I am horrified that at this point in the 21st century we have peers who continue to rely on worksheets...why? Where is rigor? What messages are we sending our students? WHY are there teachers who continue to send home PACKETS of worksheets as homework. WHEN will we talk honetly about this as a community of learners?
ReplyDeleteLove it! (Wish I could find a subtle way to share it with a few.)
ReplyDelete