By Travis

School started this last week. Students were bright-eyed and ready. The fresh smell of sharpened pencils permeated the classroom. My colleagues and I readied our curriculum and routines that will keep even the squirmiest of teenagers engaged in their learning because, after all, it is THEIR learning.

My classes are full. Every seat filled. If any more students are assigned to my classroom, I will have to create a time-share-desk situation. I like a full and busy classroom. I like having a herd of students. However, overcrowding makes students feel like an after thought. I wonder if I will ever see a change to class size in my time as a teacher.

At the close of the week, I noticed one noteworthy difference this year—there is more collegiality within my school than I felt last year. Excellent.

Last year was a hard time for my school. It was the first time in 6 years that the principal was the same person, two years in a row. In addition to this, much of my department, the English department, was new—the Freshman department had only one veteran member.

This year, I am a returning freshman teacher. We now have two veteran freshman English teachers out of 5. 

The teachers at my school are good teachers. They are strong in instruction and know the best practices for their subject matter; they love working with students; and they put in extended hours. As a school, we have a metanarrative that binds us and I feel that this year we will make gains toward that.

How about the state of Washington? What is the educational metanarrative? And does Washington’s metanarrative involve something other than testing? 

photo by Scott Coulter