Afternoon Video: Pretty Soon We'll Have "Gangam Style" Resignations

Used to be, teachers just resigned, or at most posted their resignation letters online. Here's the video going around in which a RI teacher announces his resignation:

  

Pretty soon, teachers are going to resign via elaborate choreographed group  videos, ideally set to the soundtrack of "Gangam Style."

Comments

[nycdoenuts]

Which will be GREAT for kids!

[Bruce]

In Gangnam, where I taught for years, education is taken seriously, and high test scores are sought and achieved (Gangnam is where the most educationally ambitious parents in Korea congregate); but even they don't believe in the militaristic approach to second grade education described in this video. I imagine Ms. Shannon could reply; but even if this video is only half true, she has great reason to reflect.

This comes from the serious mistake of crudely applying a single approach to all of our children in all levels of education, be they primary, secondary, or tertiary. By contrast, wiser systems understand more thoroughly that children develop, and shield primary school children from the managers' (self-protective) testing frenzy.

[BDowell]

If what the teacher is saying is all true, then it would be almost impossible for an adult to sit in a setting such as was described. Test taking is the focus on most school campuses these days, but for schools to only be focused on testing is silly and unproductive.