Struck a nerve
I'm still wiping tears from my eyes, although I had the presence of mind to wait until class ended and I was well away from the building before I let out my frustration.
Undergraduage special education class.... we were taking a quiz. It's the WISC-R test that they give kids in order to assess whether or not they should be placed in special education. The teacher chose sample questions from each age group up through age 12. The questions were given verbally, as they would be in actual practice, and we were to write down our answers. There was only one right answer for each question. The questions were very vague. In many cases, more information was needed to really give an accurate answer. For example, a math problem concerning money and we're supposed to subtract "a quarter." Was that 25 cents or 1/4 of the amount? (It was 1/4 of the amount.) So, I asked for clarification on two questions.
After the second time, the professor told the class - no, he didn't address me, he addressed the class - he said that if this were a real test, he would interpret my speaking up as an indication of psychological emotional disturbance. I didn't ask any more questions.
I was the only person in the class that passed the test.
The purpose of taking the test was to demonstrate how unfair and unrealistic the test is, despite the fact that it is still the primary assessment tool used in public schools. He certainly made his point.
Why am I so upset? Well, for one thing, I already feel alienated in that classroom. Because I have a 20-minute walk to class from my previous class and only 15 minutes to do it in, I arrive 5 minutes late for his class every time. I can only imagine how the other students interpret that. And secondly, I'm at least 7 years older than anyone else in the class, and I am acutely aware that I am therefore different. Having been warned by a wise friend, I don't contribute much if anything to class discussions. I've tried so hard to just blend in, and I feel like the professor ruined those attempts today.
The experience also made me very aware of myself. Well, more than usual. And I think I finally figured out why I was always regarded as a "problem child" by my early elementary school teachers. And that opened some old wounds.
It was without a doubt the worst classroom experience I have had since elementary school.
For those interested, some of the questions on the test included stuff like, "What is a horse?" and "What do you call a baby donkey?" which is a trick question. You still call it a donkey. "How far is it from New York to Los Angeles?" The answer is 2500 miles. Any other answer is wrong. "If you found $50 on the floor in the grocery store, what would you do?" Remember, only one right answer. There is no subjectivity in the grading and no partial credit. Students are placed in special ed according to their scores. "You missed this many, you go in special education." The questions were drawn from tests going up through age 12, and again, I was the only one who passed the test. Does this bother anyone else?
Undergraduage special education class.... we were taking a quiz. It's the WISC-R test that they give kids in order to assess whether or not they should be placed in special education. The teacher chose sample questions from each age group up through age 12. The questions were given verbally, as they would be in actual practice, and we were to write down our answers. There was only one right answer for each question. The questions were very vague. In many cases, more information was needed to really give an accurate answer. For example, a math problem concerning money and we're supposed to subtract "a quarter." Was that 25 cents or 1/4 of the amount? (It was 1/4 of the amount.) So, I asked for clarification on two questions.
After the second time, the professor told the class - no, he didn't address me, he addressed the class - he said that if this were a real test, he would interpret my speaking up as an indication of psychological emotional disturbance. I didn't ask any more questions.
I was the only person in the class that passed the test.
The purpose of taking the test was to demonstrate how unfair and unrealistic the test is, despite the fact that it is still the primary assessment tool used in public schools. He certainly made his point.
Why am I so upset? Well, for one thing, I already feel alienated in that classroom. Because I have a 20-minute walk to class from my previous class and only 15 minutes to do it in, I arrive 5 minutes late for his class every time. I can only imagine how the other students interpret that. And secondly, I'm at least 7 years older than anyone else in the class, and I am acutely aware that I am therefore different. Having been warned by a wise friend, I don't contribute much if anything to class discussions. I've tried so hard to just blend in, and I feel like the professor ruined those attempts today.
The experience also made me very aware of myself. Well, more than usual. And I think I finally figured out why I was always regarded as a "problem child" by my early elementary school teachers. And that opened some old wounds.
It was without a doubt the worst classroom experience I have had since elementary school.
For those interested, some of the questions on the test included stuff like, "What is a horse?" and "What do you call a baby donkey?" which is a trick question. You still call it a donkey. "How far is it from New York to Los Angeles?" The answer is 2500 miles. Any other answer is wrong. "If you found $50 on the floor in the grocery store, what would you do?" Remember, only one right answer. There is no subjectivity in the grading and no partial credit. Students are placed in special ed according to their scores. "You missed this many, you go in special education." The questions were drawn from tests going up through age 12, and again, I was the only one who passed the test. Does this bother anyone else?
posted by DenverSop @ 10:04 AM
7 Comments:
At 9/14/2006 8:52 PM,
Mellifluous said…
Wow! That's really, really sad. It sure makes you wonder the state of special ed in this country. I'm really sorry about your class experience today.
Just to clarify, I didn't mean that you shouldn't participate in class at all...but just be aware of how often you speak up and to what degree it would be relevant to others. Of course, after today, I doubt anyone would want to participate in this particular class. Wonder if the prof intended to also stifle the class in his experiment?
At 9/15/2006 8:41 AM,
Anonymous said…
That is a horrible way to treat one's class! It's one thing to try to demonstrate that the special ed test is dumb, but to go out of your way to demoralize the class is reprehensible. Ironically, I was just discussing this with some friends yesterday, and reminiscing about what a pain in the butt some of us were to our teachers when they did things that were obviously wrong.
Personally, I doubt you were a "problem child" growing up. Rather, I think that you, like many other gifted kids, made your teachers work a little harder than they wanted to. *Stops self from grumbling about the ancient special ed vs. gifted debate*
Bottom line: this prof is a jerk. My advice is to do your best to ignore the crap he deals out (I know, far easier said than done); if there's any useful info in the class, take that and leave the rest. I know it's hard when these old wounds get opened up, but you did the right thing by asking for more information (and incidentally, pointing out the weaknesses of the test far better than your prof's demonstration would have). And since when does speaking up make one emotionally disturbed? That's ridiculous!
At 9/15/2006 11:32 AM,
Ward said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 9/15/2006 11:38 AM,
Ward said…
The business of being judged for asking an intelligent question is for the birds. Was he just trying to demonstrate something? I suspect a possible misrepresentation of reality, but I really don't know what the actual elementary classroom experience is, and from the sounds of it, I don't think this "example" was reality. He gave a subset of questions and might well have chosen just bad questions, and furthermore, misrepresented how a typical teacher would respond to a question. So, to make a judgment on the fairness of the test, ya need the real test. I think he's hiding the whole story to get a reaction.
That being said, I think you do yourself and class a disservice by not speaking up. I'd ask God what to do, but I'd be inclined to take the guy on, tactfully if possible. Frankly, it sounds like you are smarter. :)
At 9/15/2006 11:42 AM,
Ward said…
And don't forget you are paying for this, so if you have a unresolvable issue with him, it's fair game to take it to his boss, or boss' boss.
At 9/15/2006 12:33 PM,
DenverSop said…
Wow - my eyes were big as saucers when I read that letter Sandy attached. (Hopefully you all clicked her link.) The NERVE!
My plan at the moment is to proceed with caution and an open mind. Give it a chance to blow over. While it was unquestionably poor judgment on his part to make the comment he did, I can't hold him completely responsible for how I reacted to it.
However, if he does anything else that specifically makes me uncomfortable, I will discuss it with him one on one after class.
It's great to bounce these things off you guys - you're so insightful and you ALWAYS come up with perspectives I had missed. :-)
At 9/19/2006 11:00 AM,
DenverSop said…
Update...
I was back in this class today, and we were discussing laws that force public schools to do this and that for special ed kids, whether or not they can afford it.
So, raised my hand and asked what schools were doing to make accomodations if there just isn't money available. Sadly, more often than not it means canceling other programs, such as the arts. Even if we're talking about, for example, hiring a full time teacher's aide for one special ed kid. The majority suffers.
The prof commended me for questioning the appropriateness of the law. This is a very different reaction from Thursday, and it leads me to believe that I completely misinterpretted his comment last week. I suspect now that his comment about my "emotional disturbance" was supposed to be an example of another form of biased assessment that places some kids in special ed who shouldn't be there.
Needless to say, I feel much better.
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