Published Friday, February 25, 2005 in East Valley Opinions of the Arizona Republic, as “AIMS prep take fun out of learning.”
PBS recently aired a documentary on the late Albert Cullum who stands out as one of our most passionate and imaginative teachers. The film’s press release sums up well what happened in his 5th grade classroom. “Without leaving the classroom, his students visited King Tut’s tomb, attended joint sessions of the U.S. Congress, operated on bleeding nouns in his ‘grammar hospital,’ and clamored to play the timeless roles of Julius Caesar, Lady Macbeth and Hamlet.”
While many of us are inspired by Cullum, today test preparation is the objective. Last week I discussed how the Kyrene School District is trying to make more time for math by shaving a few minutes off orchestra. They are not alone. Across the Valley some school districts swap out recess, music, art or social studies, so more time can be spent on reading, writing, and math—the three things AIMS evaluates. Read the rest of this entry »