AuburnChick's Adventures

Twas the night before VAM,
And all through the school,
Every teacher was working
Against this dumb tool.

They wanted to sleep but could not settle in
Instead they partook of a tonic and gin.
Some “brainiac,” you see, had decided one day
It’d be great to let test scores affect teacher pay.

When out in the district, there arose such a clamor
Educators were ticked; they raised a banner.
How dare politicians who earn way too much money
Try to take ours away…hey, that’s not even funny!

Have you no scruples, do you not understand
That you’re running off teachers by leaps and bounds.
You’re taking our planning, we attend endless meetings.
Our students’ attendance is often fleeting.

You test kids to death,
They cry out in pain
By the time April comes,
They’re beyond strained.

We need a new driver,
Someone who knows
What it’s like to teach children
Whose reading won’t flow.

Walk a mile in our shoes; let’s see how you do
Teaching standards that change every year or two.
Let’s measure your children against those who don’t struggle
And with those who have parents with whom they can snuggle.

You will beg, you will plead, but your efforts will fail.
No one will care; the VAM will prevail.
Only then will you see why teachers can’t sleep
On this Night Before VAM when worries are steep.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: education, florida, teaching, VAM |