Remember the Facebook post about the poet who could not answer the STAAR questions about her own poem? Several educators tagged me in that post and shared it on their own pages. Danger, Will Robinson. Something caused my finger to hover over sharing it myself. Unsure of what it was, I didn't take action. The message sure sounded like a persuasive and powerful admonition of the evil testing machine.
This morning, I understand my hesitation.
We don't often have the luxury of asking the author about his meaning or intent. Think of our Constitution. As critical readers and citizens hoping to preserve our Republic, we must consider the author's purpose and intent without the benefit of how they might answer our dilemmas. We must consider other writings and supporting documents of our founding fathers. We must consider the cultural and historical realities of their time and place. All without a conversation with the authors or the ability to hear how they would answer our questions.
But even then, our responsibilities as critical thinkers and communicators remain unfinished. We must consider the current cultural and historical and global contexts.
But even then, our responsibilities as critical thinkers and communicators remain unfinished. We must consider the consequences of our response and the best way to present our thinking.
As educators, we certainly are charged with educating the populace, the citizenry. We teach people to reason through the logical fallacies in all arguments and click baits, even those designed to rally the voting masses. Discernment of the author's meaning and intent isn't something to be scorned or derided as unworthy for test items. Do we want people who make and disseminate information they have not digested and carefully considered? We are guilty. Do we want people to make decisions born of political machinations? We have played a role. Do we want people to accept compromises of truth voiced by experts of warring ideologies? The pot is black like the kettle.
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