9486 in the collection
Teacher faces hearing for refusing to give test
Ohanian Comment: Read the letter of support below this article. Go forth and do likewise. Let this teacher know people stand with her.
Kathryn Sihota is a teacher at
Millstream Elementary School
626 Hoy Lake Road
Victoria, BC V9B 3P7
by Louise Dickson, CanWest News Service
VICTORIA -- Elementary school teacher Kathryn Sihota said her refusal to administer a district-mandated reading test to her Grade 3 students is an act of conscience.
"I've administered the test for years and I'm not going to do it anymore," Sihota said Friday. "The last time I gave the test, a child dissolved in tears from anxiety. I'd put her in a situation I didn't want her to be in. My gut feeling as a teacher made me say, 'I'm going to take a stand here.'"
Sihota will face a school board disciplinary hearing in September for her refusal to administer the District Assessment of Reading Team or DART. If the board decides to discipline the 27-year teaching veteran, she could receive anyth ing from a verbal warning to suspension without pay.
Assistant superintendent, Jim Cambridge described the situation as "a bit of a power struggle." "From our position, it's not about the test. It's about a teacher refusing to do what the system has asked her to do."
The Sooke School District adopted the testing four years ago to assess student achievement levels for reading and writing, said assistant superintendent Ron Warder. Teachers can choose to give the fall test, but the spring test is mandatory.
Ian Johnson, president of the Sooke Teachers' Association, said the vast majority of teachers across the province are opposed to these kinds of tests.
"This is a concern for a lot of people, not just teachers," said Johnson.
Here is a sample letter.
Margot Swinburnson, Chairman of the Sooke School Board - mswinburnson@sd62.bc.ca
Dear Ms Swinburnson:
I read with interest the article in the Vancouver Sun, dated August 25 concerning a teacher who faces a hearing for refusing to give a test.
It is my hope that the hearing will be informed by the large body of evidence that has been accumulating concerning the both the efficacy and the possible harmful effects of testing. I will not list the many studies that have been done in this field, but I could supply a reading list if you are interested.
I taught in public schools for 45 years and am now retired, but as I hear from desperate and unhappy people who have been badly damaged by the school system, I have the sense that soon there will lawsuits against school boards for forcing children to submit to degrading and demoralizing testing in spite of a growing body of knowledge that explicitly lays out the dangers of such activities for many children.
I urge you to do the research so that you can make a decisio n that will be informed, humane and forward thinking.
Sincerely,
Helen Hughes
cc: Brian Fox, Superintendant; Ron Warder, Jim Cambridge, Assistant Superintendants - info@sd62.bc.ca
Georgina Tran -President Parent Advisory Council - speac@sd62.bc.ca
Ian Johnson, President of Sooke TeachersÂ’ Association - lp62@bctf.ca
— Louise Dickson, CanWest News Service
Vancouver Sun
2007-08-25
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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