Opt Out

I was talking to a fourth grade teacher about standardized tests her students were in the process of taking.  She said one was good but another reduced kids to tears.  I then asked her how many kids opted out.  She said none.  Her school is in the inner city.  The parents are immigrants and the whole concept of saying no to something the school is doing is not something they even realize they can do.  Most just want to stay under the radar and do what people in charge are saying is best for their children.

Class Participation

...She was uncomfortable with what the professors called "participation," and did not see why it should be part of the final grade; it merely made students talk and talk, class time wasted on obvious words, hollow words, sometimes meaningless words.  It had to be Americans were taught, from elementary school, to say something in class, no matter what.
 

The above paragraph comes from Americanah, by Chimanda Ngozi Adichi.  This was written as an observation by Ifemelu begins her university education in the United States.  I thought it particularly relevant to today's standards which judge a teacher unsatisfactory when not every student in class has spoken during the lesson.

BTW--it is a wonderful book, gives a good understanding of what immigrants must go through in their adopted countries and why they do so.  It is heart wrenching to read about college graduates cleaning toilets, breathing poisonous air, being cheated and putting up with it all in hopes of a better life in the future.