This folksy song is making the email rounds.  Every time someone sends it to me, I re-listen to it, so I guess that means I think it is pretty funny, or that I like to procrastinate. (I still am not used to the idea that blogging is real work.)

Anyway, here is the line that got me thinking this morning:

Remember you teachers. Their jobs are at stake.

Thankfully, for the most part, and for now, this is not really true.  Teachers are not yet losing their jobs because of students’ poor test performance.  But it is a frightening concept.  A teacher’s career and livelihood could depend upon the performance of a bunch of eight-year olds. Think about any eight year-old that you know. Even the best kid is probably a spaz. There is a reason we don’t let eight year-olds drive or light a fire or really do anything without adult supervision. Would you want your career to hinge upon an eight year-old's (or for that matter an 11- or 14-year-old's) performance on one test given over a couple of days in May?