Clinton and Stacy of "What Not to Wear" fame suggest that all women need a good tailor. I was never certain that this was true. I always thought that one day I'd find the clothes at the end of the rainbow. For me, shopping for clothes, especially pants, is akin to the search for the holy grail. I have been blessed (or cursed) with a larger bottom and a tiny waist which means that no pants ever fit me the way that they are supposed to. Partnered with my physical issue is the fact that the size of pants is a mystery worthy of CSI investigation. You know how the diet commercials have women professing to have dropped 4 dress sizes after 3 weeks? Well I can drop 4 pant sizes in about 10 minutes just by entering a different store. I can wear anything from a 4 to a 10 which certainly complicates shopping in addition to the fact that no size ever really fits. Clearly I don't believe in one size fits all and, in my case, one size doesn't even fit one!
I know many people are opposed to curricular standards, fearing that the teacher is robbed of her autonomy, creativity and judgment. I do see the merits in these arguments and certainly, the implementation and expectation rooted in standards based curricula differs dramatically in the US than in Canada, or even in the various provinces in Canada. But, what holds me to the spirit of the outcome based curricula is that there is some kind of a benchmark; essential learnings identified and indicators of learning suggested from which the teacher can choose and provide her students with appropriate, differentiated ways to demonstrate their learning.
I know that size 8 pants are different things in different stores, I also know that, generally, the more expensive the store, the smaller size pants I wear. Is this a phenomenon in schools as well? More affluent schools having higher academic averages? Are they smarter or, like with the pants, does an A represent something completely different in each environment? Maybe rich kids might be better at math because they need to shop for pants using negative integers! Seriously though, we need to narrow the gap in expectations. I think I should be able to expect that size 8 pants fall into a range of relative similarity and, no, maybe that range will not be the same in the UK or in the US (hmm I bet I could find some great fitting pants in Finland!) but at least it could be similar in my country, or at least in my province, or at least in my city, or my school division, or one school...We need to talk about outcomes and indicators, we need to collaborate and focus on common assessment (I don't mean standardized tests and the like, I am thinking more about ways to demonstrate and measure proficiency and conversations about what mastery is and what it looks like and ways to gather evidence of mastery common among colleagues).
I gave in and tried the tailor, I took 5 pair of ill fitting pants and in one week, for just under $90 I have 5 pair of pants that are perfect for me! Now this was no small task; the lady was pinning all over the place, some needed to be taken in at the back, some on the sides, every pair was different...an 8 is not always an 8! I am sure her job would have been so much easier if and 8 was an 8 and she knew where she needed to make the minor adjustments to give me and others exactly what we needed rather than starting from scratch each time. If teachers had a common language and a common understanding of essential outcomes that need to be learned, they could spend less time pinning and more time sewing...more time selecting the indicators that best meet the student's needs, skills and interests. We could be confident knowing, for example, that a student who achieved mastery of a credit in Chemistry 20 would have demonstrated these essential understandings regardless of which classroom or school he came from!
Clinton and Stacy say all women need a good tailor, one who can give them a perfect fit, I say, a teacher needs to be like that tailor, helping students find that right fit in their learning too! In the meantime though, I know where I need to go to get the right fit in clothes, the curriculum issue is another shopping experience all together!
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