Dear Santa,

I haven’t written in a while because to be honest, I haven’t really needed or wanted anything. This year, I have a special request and I know it is a tall order. I would like you to pick up every politician in America on Christmas Eve at midnight, awake or not, sober or not. I would like you to escort them immediately to the North Pole and make them take the 6th grade Common Core Math and Language Arts tests – cold. I mean that’s fair, right? It is only a test for 6th graders, right? Then, I want the scores to be posted publicly, everywhere. To avoid embarrassment, anyone not passing with at least a 70%, whether there are flaws in the test or the answer key or not, could avoid having their scores posted, but they would have to agree never to enter politics again and to give up their current position to a teacher or a random person making a living at the poverty level.

Then, I want you to pick up every person that works in the business of making big money on high stakes testing of young students and force them to teach for one year in an inner city or poverty stricken school. I want them to do it on the same budget, within the same constraints, and with the same resources teachers currently have. Their students must pass teacher made tests, that will be similar to the tests that they themselves have written, or they lose their jobs, forever, and must all go work for minimum wage as Wal-Mart greeters until retirement. Not that there is anything wrong with being a Wal-Mart greeter mind you, I just want them to see and feel how many real people live.

I know this is a big order, but it isn’t for me. You see, I am just so tired of seeing my colleagues and students that are working as hard as they can – being constantly and consistently judged by uneven scales and consistently set up for failure.

Thank you,
June