You get a two columns for the price of one this week.
The first segment is a follow-up to a previous column about STAAR testing. Despite my staunch stance against high-stakes testing, I remain open to views about accountability for schools. I had some conversations this week with educational consultants— these particular ones are experts in their respective curriculum fields. In those discussions, it was mentioned how many years ago, no such “feet to the fire” for school districts existed. Other than pride and professionalism and the local newspaper keeping tabs on personnel, schools pretty much did what they wanted. As a result, many students received diplomas who could barely read, do fundamental math, or write an essay.
More significant—and harder to admit—is that there were and are teachers who are not good at their craft. I maintain it is a small, small percentage, but that admission is part of the reason why TEAMS, TAKS, and STAAR testing have their place in Texas schools. As was told to me, teachers are not supposed to teach toward the test. They are teaching to the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills), which come from the Texas Education Agency’s curriculum focus for each grade and each subject. If teachers K-12 follow these TEKS, then STAARisnothingmorethan the state’s attempt to keep teachers and students focused. I can buy that logic.
I remain concerned. Students learn differently. High-stakes testing places an incredible stress on those with learning difficulties or testing anxiety. Annual STAAR test results (taken once a year) comprise legislative and public perception of a school’s worth. Might we lower the stakes and measure growth rather than once-a-yearperformance?
Now, segment two: The car rental story that has no end You may recall last October the story of the rude deer and my Civic named Cardi B. My lone ride was taken to Lubbock, repaired, but still remains in shop because an air bag replacement has not arrived. I continue to call every Friday at high noon to renew my rental.
My brother-in-law and sister and I have had many discussion about global impacts. The pandemic, beside the catastrophic toll on humans, has given us a lesson in economics, too. Even the rental car industry itself has been shorthanded. This vital business can no longer sell cars once they get 25,000-30,000, in order to keep their fleets new and shiny. I am now in my second rental car since the accident, an Altima with 47,000 miles. It may sound like no big deal, but my time commuting each week is substantial. Are the original tires going to keep me safe on the road? The rental vehicle I just returned had worn tires, the need for an oil change, and an inspection sticker expiring. These are expenses that rental car businesses probably did not incur before the pandemic. Thecosthasbeenpassedon to the consumer.
I thought once I turned 65 the hardest thing I would have to do is the cardio workout when changing the sheets on my bed. How wrong I was. My heartbeat elevates when it comes to Texas school issues (school vouchers may give me a heart attack). And the ol’ ticker in my chest deflates a bit when I fork over that rental car money every Friday. Whoever said life was not for the faint of heart should be slapped for being correct.
Snyder, Texas, native Sue Jane Sullivan is a retired schoolteacher whose thought-provoking commentary appears occasionally in several West Texas newspapers, including The Texas Spur and The Caprock Courier.
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