Is that the new Shorewood brand? You hear about McCain’s brand, Obama’s brand, Paris Hilton’s brand, and hundreds of others. It’s the new in word for style I guess, and it has become a well worn noun on cable news. When I was considering moving here in 1989, Shorewood intoxicated me, tossing back her hair of peace, quiet and quaintness. She wore a small town calm and most importantly, was just out of reach of the big scary city. The brand included excellent schools, high quality arts programs, lousy football teams, excellent swim programs, a great dump and a village that treated residents like they were special.
What I didn't realize then, was that each elementary school in Shorewood had its own brand. Lake Bluff was the sort of liberal, easy going, friendly, progressive, casual yet very successful school. Atwater had a get down to business brand, the more conservative school, a little stiffer, test aware, score conscious and very successful, as well. When I visited each school shopping for my daughter’s future, I felt the difference. One school sent me on a tour with a staff member who emphasized high test scores, escorted me around the building, answered questions along the way and introduced me to the principal who was sitting on the far side of his very wide, important desk. The other gave me the option of just walking around, looking where I wanted, and asking questions as they came up of anyone who was near. There was no mention of where students cruised in the “drive-to-test-score distinction“.
The Shorewood school siblings have been undeniably affected by politics. Leaving no child behind has made its mark, like when you push really hard on your skin with a pencil. There is an undercurrent working now, to pull process under product. It is influencing the way teachers teach, what they teach, and how much time is spent teaching it. As it is now, there are two things taught in the morning in elementary schools. Language Arts and Math. The emphasis has had to be on keeping these scores high, raising reading levels and performing math efficiently on timed and standardized tests. Even with children at 96%, we neurotically wonder, “Hmmm…What can we do about that last 4%? “
There aren’t many differences between the schools now.Teachers with any crazy ideas about doing things differently should think twice after they see where compulsory education is heading. But time will go by and everything old will become new again. Documentation and data collection that keeps creativity down now, will someday be dismissed as overkill and classrooms will again be places of wonder, like they were when they began, kept constantly bedazzling by teachers wearing John Dewey T-shirts.
Shorewood has now, a weird dilemma. There are those all the way up the chain who do believe our teaching methods and assessments can be flexible. There are best practice groupies-- following trends, research findings, scholarly works and looking for gaps. "Differentiation" is hot now. It could also be called good teaching. It requires us to see kids as individuals, determine how they learn and help them reflect that learning most effectively. Teaching to individuals assumes we will meet them where they are academically and move them forward as much as is possible and natural, without freaking out because they are not where they are "supposed" to be. They would still have to be tested old style like everyone else. If in the end students are placed in AP classes, put in “accelerated learner” programs, declared at risk or determined to be in need of support by specialists, it may be smarter and of more service to focus on successful test taking. The brand now? It is still one that includes quality arts and academic programs, the swim team remains strong and scores are high. Our brand now is a bit up in the air, floating between the past and the future. From the inside, it looks like there will have to be some redefinition in order to fit the big feet of yesterday into the little slippers of today’s budget. You’ll be able to watch it happen. When your children start talking more about tests than about school, you’ll know it's done.
