I Can't Do The Math

I Can’t Do The Math

Springfield High School
Springfield, PA
Spring 2004

The No Child Left Behind Act mandated yearly testing for all students. This mandate drove everyone nuts.  I hated these tests.  They were forced, they were artificial and they were implemented for political reason, not educational reasons. For these reasons, I loathed them.  But that didn’t matter because I was the principal and I had to oversee the administration of these tests whether I liked them or not.

I was not alone in my loathing of these tests.  The teachers hated them as well and complained mercilessly from the minute I announced the testing schedule until the moment the damn tests were securely packed and sent back to the evil administrator at the state department of education.

The students hated them too.  But they were so uninvested in these tests that they saw it as four long days of daydreaming and going through the motion of filling in random circles on a scan sheet.  The only bright side for them was a four-day holiday from homework.

The superintendent did his best to put pressure on us, the principal, to put press on the teachers to put pressure on the students to do as well as possible.  Test scores were published in the local papers and parents and realtors compared scores amongst districts.  And a statewide unhealthy competition re-enforced everyone’s testing anxiety.

I had spent a lot of time with the students, doing my best to emphasis why it was for the greater good to do well on these worthless tests.  I attempted to appeal to their sense of community obligation to do well so that our school received a favorable score that would improve our ratings with colleges around the country. I indicated there would be a remediation class for those who did not make AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) and that was met with distain.

When the testing date rolled around, I had every aspect of the testing administration in place.  Everyone understood that we didn’t have to like it but we had to do it. I was getting the cooperation I had expected and was satisfied that people understood and were complying with this major annoyance.

One classroom teacher called to the office, asking for some assistance.  So one of the assistant principals went up to the second floor to see what was needed.  After ten minutes, the other assistant principal was called for back up.  Now, I was getting annoyed in anticipation of a problem.  And if some kids were misbehaving on this date, I was going to kick their asses.

My two assistant principals knew my level of anxiety so when one of them called me and asked me to come to the classroom, he spoke very gently to me, “Hey Doc, we have a little problem with Joe and he’s asking for you.  If you don’t mind, could you come on up.  We need you.”

I went down the hallway and started up the stairwell when I heard deep, deep sobbing.  It’s Joe, one of our more difficult students, sitting on the steps with his head in his hands. He can barely speak but when he sees me, he blurts out, “How many fucking times do I have to show people how fucking stupid I am.  I can’t do the fucking math.”

 I sit beside him, rub his back, and tell him to calm down.  He continued, “I’m really sorry.  I can do the English and I’ll try really hard on that but I can’t do the fucking math.  How many times do I have to show people that I’m fucking stupid.”

I apologized to Joe.  And I was filled with sorrow for him. He was embarrassed about his anger, his crying, and his poor behavior. And he apologized to me. “I know these tests are really important to you.  And I was really going to try but I can’t fucking do the math. I promise you, I will do great on the reading and writing.”

I sent Joe home for the rest of the day because he was worn out from all of his anger. And I was worn out from pushing the wrong agenda on my students.