Education

GRAB THE SHOVEL!

November 03, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Administrators sometimes like to call bits and pieces of documented student work “artifacts,” presumably because they provide direct evidence that their kids are learning. But at Ms. Smlph’s school, the name fits because they’re apparently dug up at the last minute.

At the end of the meeting, our school's three administrators, one of whom was only a PE teacher two weeks ago, stood up and plead for "artifacts," useless pieces of evidence they could stuff into a binder to present to the school district. It turns out this binder was supposed to be at the office at noon yesterday, and by the time the meeting had ended, it was 4pm. The administrators were so flustered, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, scrambling for data, papers, and anything that might show teachers at our school are actually doing something.
It was hilarious to see all of this going on out in the open instead of behind closed doors.

(From What Up, Ms. Smlph?.)

A version of this news article first appeared in the Blogboard blog.

Events

School Climate & Safety K-12 Essentials Forum Strengthen Students’ Connections to School
Join this free event to learn how schools are creating the space for students to form strong bonds with each other and trusted adults.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Standards-Based Grading Roundtable: What We've Achieved and Where We're Headed
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Creating Confident Readers: Why Differentiated Instruction is Equitable Instruction
Join us as we break down how differentiated instruction can advance your school’s literacy and equity goals.
Content provided by Lexia Learning

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Opinion The 10 Most-Read Opinions of 2023
Here are Education Week’s most-read Opinion blog posts and essays of 2023.
2 min read
Collage of lead images for various opinion stories.
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty
Education Letter to the Editor EdWeek's Most-Read Letters of 2023
Read the most-read Letters to the Editor of the past year.
1 min read
Illustration of a line of diverse hands holding up speech bubbles in front of a subtle textured newspaper background
iStock/Getty
Education Briefly Stated: November 1, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: October 11, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read