Tests Schmests

I have been showing a group of my students the recent PBS special about the Freedom Riders.  We were reading the Inaugural Address from JFK and a piece of the "Letter from the Birmingham County Jail" by MLK Jr.  I was attempting to draw parallels between these two men and my students had no knowledge of the significant connection these two men shared.  I am supposed to be in the final push toward our state mandated testing--the tests that determine the success not only of my students but also the public school they attend--reviewing what we have learned and making sure they are prepared for the exams.  I chose, instead, to try and get them ready for the world.  I stopped what I was doing, changed the plans, and spent two days discussing the remarkable individuals...many of whom were students...who risked their lives for equality.  We talked about how inhuman it was for law enforcement to stand by while people were brutally beaten...one bus was even set on fire with Freedom Riders and innocent passengers alike trapped inside.  We talked about how government officials refused to intervene in the midst of complete and total chaos.  Of course, since we were in English class, we wrote about what we saw and heard from the people who lived it.  History took on flesh and blood, and, because they watched those brave souls have their flesh torn and their blood shed, it took root.  THAT is what I get up every morning to do.  I don't just teach academics...I teach life.  It is the most difficult and rewarding profession that I can imagine...and I cannot fathom doing anything else.