Teaching not to the test

A teacher in Seattle refused to give a state-mandated standardized test, and was suspended without pay for doing so.

Still, Chew said his moral and ethical objections to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning have grown in recent years, and he decided that he finally had to take a stand.

Obviously I'm just speculating blindly, but I'm willing to be that Mr. Chew will be one of those teachers his students remember for a long time afterwards. A teacher who teaches and teaches will is one thing, and certainly admirable. But a teacher who demonstrates that they're not just a real person, but a real person with real morals, and willing to stand up for them? A teacher who sees a problem, and even if it's not to their immediate benefit, does everything they can to try to correct it? That's admirable, and that's a teacher that remains in students' memories.

In Seattle, Eckstein parents said they learned of Chew's actions Monday. Barbara Albertson, whose daughter is a sixth-grader at the school and one of Chew's students, said she admires Chew's courage.

"It's a wonderful example for the kids, whether they believe in it or not, to see a teacher they respect stand up and do this," she said. "This is an age group where they need to see role models like this, people who aren't afraid."

Damn straight. I'm sure that there will be some parents moaning about it, but I think that embracing it, even if it's just on principle, is the right attitude.

Also..."Washington Assessment of Student Learning"? For some reason that seems like it should be grammatically incorrect.