Are We Living in Flobbertown?
Nov 3rd, 2007 by Ann Maher
Dr. Seuss saw it coming. Before his death in 1991, he was trying to write a book that would be a tribute to teachers, a story in celebration of individuality and creative thinking. In the last book credited to his genius, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day, readers come to know Miss Bonkers, who teaches her students to THINK. Amazingly, it’s really a book about children being required to take tests. Diffendoofer students love their school because they have fun and learn interesting things. However, to stay in their school, they must score well on a test. (Does this sound familiar?) Those children who don’t pass the test will be sent to a dreaded place called Flobbertown.
“Not Flobbertown!” we shouted, /and we shuddered at the name, /for everyone in Flobbertown does everything the same./ It’s miserable in Flobbertown, they dress in just one style. /They sing one song, they never dance, they march in single file. /They do not have a playground and they do not have a park. /Their lunches have no taste at all, their dogs are scared to bark.” (Prelutsky, 1998)
This month, Connecticut schools will assess their students. The Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and the Connecticut Academic Proficiency Test (CAPT) are rigorous in their expectations for students to articulate their thinking. How will our students fare this year? What impact will their scores have on their futures? And in a larger context, what is the impact of this testing on Connecticut in general?
Are we living in Flobbertown? Is this where we want to be?
Let’s turn back to Miss Bonkers and her colleagues. How did they help their students avoid Flobbertown? Here’s another quote from the book – “Look! Look!” she chirps. “I’ll show you how/ to tell a cactus from a cow,/ and then I shall instruct you why/ a hippo cannot hope to fly.” Notice the words – WHY and HOW – not what, not who. In order to think, students must question. The world needs problem solvers, team players, competent thinkers. Risk-takers, not test-takers.
Much is being written about closing our achievement gap in Connecticut and addressing the mandates of NCLB and federal law. Look inside the text of the articles, and listen to the conversations of those in power. Do you find How, When, and Why questions? Questions are where thinking and change reside, for they generate discussion and brainstorming. Conversation creates community, which breaks down fear.
Take your own survey today – how many questions of any substance do you hear in our adult conversations? How many stimulating discussions do you engage in? Is your thinking challenged, or numbed? Have we, with all the best intentions in the world, created our own Flobbertown? If so, why did it happen and how do we fix it? Is it a problem with our schools or with our society in general? What natural and social resources exist to repair and improve our public education system?
The data tells us that our schools need to change to better meet the needs of today’s students. The kids know it. The adults know it. But how can we accomplish it? The best place to start is with an examination of our own thinking. What conversations can we create?
