The education reform movement that is currently sweeping across our nation has reached heights of insane madness. As I have been reading and following this movement, it is disturbing to me that the ACE Study is rarely mentioned. Children of trauma rarely come up in the conversation. Yet we know the greatest gift we can offer students that have ACEs, is a caring adult relationship. The very foundation where trust is earned, where hope can be restored, and the wounds of ACEs can begin to heal. Positive outcomes of a caring adult relationship...modeling and teaching resilience. Resilience that begins to empower the victim of ACEs and begins their journey to becoming the wonderful person they were meant to be.
The high-stakes testing environment is threatening Americas's teachers from taking the time and opportunity to nurture these foundational relationships. Currently there are states pushing to implement policy that will tie teacher evaluation and salary to their students' standardized test score. I am very concerned that our schools are going to become testing factories focusing only on preparing students to pass the state standards. This approach will drive our ACE students further behind and place them at a higher risk of dropping out. The additional stress and anxiety will burden students with more stress than they are prepared to handle.
A graduation requirement for students in the state of Washington is to present their High School and Beyond plan to teachers, family, or possible community members. Cindy, a senior at Lincoln High School, presented her senior presentation to Lincoln staff members and some of her friends after school in early April. Cindy began sharing her life with us and how difficult it has been growing up under the curse of her mother's constant taunting that Cindy will be a loser all of her life. She told us that her mother said she would never make it in life and would dropout of school. But worst of all, her mother told Cindy that she hopes she fails at everything Cindy tries to do. Cindy looked at staff and said, "Lincoln has become my family. Since transferring to Lincoln, I realized that I didn't have to fail school."
With great pride, she shared that she had caught up on her credits and that she was going to graduate on time. "I would never have made it, if you hadn't believed in me and encouraged me." I will never forget what she said next. "I have made it, I am not the loser that my mother said I would become. I am so proud of myself."
As you can imagine, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. However, we all knew down deep that she still had to pass one more state standard or the state would deny her high school diploma. The stress that this put on staff was overwhelming. We could not accept Cindy being rejected and feeling that her mother's predictions had become her reality.
We recently received the state testing results. Cindy passed! I asked her if she had been stressed out waiting for the results of the math standard. She said: "Sporleder, you don't know how stressful it has been to know that I could lose my diploma even though I caught up on all my credits and completed all the other requirements."
I gave her a hug and said, "I have been stressed out as well. I am so proud of you." This is an example of the punitive pressure thousands of students are facing in Washington State alone.
The madness has to stop! Teachers need to feel that they can take the time to build the caring adult relationships with their students. When teachers take the time to build relationships, instead of a high school dropout, you have Cindy, a proud high school graduate heading to the community college to enter the cosmetology program.
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