9486 in the collection
Teachers Rally In Support of Colleague
Ohanian Comment: A 27-year veteran teacher responded to a third grader's tears and refused to give the test again. Kathryn tells me she had her disciplinary hearing and a letter was put in her file.
In the letter, it says that if I don't administer the test this year I could be fired. It will also now go to the College of Teachers and they will determine if further discipline is required.
Katherine says she greatly appreciates the cards and letters of support she received from people who read about her here . It is time to write her again:
Kathryn Sihota is a teacher at
Millstream Elementary School
626 Hoy Lake Road
Victoria, BC V9B 3P7
If a teacher won't stop for a child's tears, who will?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 24, 2007
Teachers rally in support of colleague
On Tuesday, September 25, 2007, teachers from across the province will rally at the Sooke Board of Education office in support of a colleague who may be disciplined for refusing to administer a standardized test to her Grade 3 students.
Motivated by concern for her students, Kathryn Sihota, a Grade 3 teacher in the Sooke school district and 27-year veteran in primary teaching, took a stand last spring and refused to give the DART (District Assessment of Reading Team) to her young charges. “I’ve administered the test for years and I’m not going to do it anymore,” Sihota says. “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.”
Teachers oppose testing when its purpose is simply to satisfy the government and school district agenda of data collection for political purposes, rather than to assist them in finding ways to enrich students’ learning experiences. An increasing number of tests are now being imposed on students and are detracting from a quality learning experience.
“Teachers work with students in classrooms every day and understand that students need support and encouragement to be successful,” says Irene Lanzinger, president of the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation. “We use a variety of assessment methods, including tests, to help students learn. The over-emphasis on standardized exams and data collection is putting students and their success at risk while doing nothing to enhance learning. Teachers throughout the province are speaking out on behalf of their students and the support they need in order to be successful.”
The rally will be held at the Sooke Board of Education office 3143 Jacklin Road, Victoria, from 4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. Speakers include: Ian Johnson (president of the Sooke Teachers’ Association), Kathryn Sihota (Sooke teacher), Eden Haythornthwaite (Cowichan school trustee), Hanna Seymour (Cowichan parent), Rachel Soberg (Sooke parent), and Irene Lanzinger (president of the BCTF).
FOR BROADCAST USE:
TEACHERS FROM ACROSS BRITISH COLUMBIA WILL RALLY AT THE SOOKE BOARD OF EDUCATION OFFICE ON TUESDAY.
KATHRYN SIHOTA, A GRADE THREE TEACHER, IS BEING THREATENED WITH DISCIPLINE FOR REFUSING TO ADMINISTER A STANDARDIZED TEST TO HER STUDENTS LAST SPRING.
SIHOTA SAYS SHE IS APPALLED AT THE GROWING NUMBER OF PROVINCIAL AND DISTRICT TESTS THAT CONTINUE TO TAKE MORE AND MORE TIME AWAY FROM ESSENTIAL TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES.
B-C-T-F PRESIDENT IRENE LANZINGER SAYS TEACHERS ACROSS THE PROVINCE ARE SPEAKING OUT ON BEHALF OF THEIR STUDENTS.
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For more information, contact Kathleen MacKinnon, BCTF media relations officer, at 604-871-1881 (office) or 604-340-1959 (cell).
— News Release
BC Teachers' Federation
2007-09-24
http://www.bctf.ca/NewsReleases.aspx?id=13588
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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