Among the many pushes and pulls that impact the exchange between teacher and student we find an ever-growing list of elements that demand our attention.   Today our senses are being battered by any number of requests for “techno fixes” and ways to gain an advantage, or ways that provide the promise of being able to take a shortcut to the success of everything from student achievement to the prevention of a possible physical assault on our students.  Test prep programs, online tutorials,…

For those who are not hockey fans, players in the National Hockey League (NHL) have been on strike thus far this season.   A fourth grade teacher casually asked his class, “When does the NHL start?”  A student gleefully replied, “next week.”  This prompted another student to moan and groan, “oh no, not another test.”

At first blush this appears to be an innocent and seemingly humorous exchange.  It does, however, belie a more insidious reality.  It reveals what appears to be…