iImage Idea part 1

My idea for my iImage started forming soon after October of this past school year. We have a curriculum change in the Math Department about 2 years ago, along with the first year of measuring our AYP. The first group of students did quite well, considering that they were the first group of students to come to 8th grade after attempting to complete the ENTIRE Transition Math book, whereas, previously, the students only did HALF of the content throughout the year. This year, administration was sure to remind the 8th grade staff (including myself) of the success we had the previous year and to make sure that we understood because of NCLB our scores had to continue to increase. We spent much of the first month "hammering" in ideas that we knew would appear on the MEAP, despite the fact that these students wouldn't normally be exposed to this type of content until near the end of the school year. I was beginning to feel that we were allowing the "TEST" to consume the time, discussion, and the personality of the classroom at the beginning of the year, which is typically a time used to get to know the students, their strengths, their weaknesses, etc. Instead, we were packing more "stuffing" into the pillows until the seams were stretched to their limits.

NCLB is a common grumble among teachers. The picture from afar seems to be ideal, however, to bring it into a classroom that is being funded less and less is to get a close-up of that pretty picture and realize the many flaws that exist when you study the work up close. My brain began to toy with the idea of how I can pull together my content area and the effects I SEE from NCLB. This is where my iImage began to take form.