Sen. Pat Roberts recalled a time when he taught school and gave the same test five times — and it landed him in the principal’s office, he told a group of education majors at Emporia State University Thursday afternoon.
Roberts, who stopped at ESU as part of his listening tour, generated laughter throughout the room as he told his story about giving the test five times. Speaking at the Memorial Union Veterans Hall of Honor, Roberts told the group that he gave the test on Monday and the students didn’t do well. So he gave it again — the very same test on Tuesday and they still didn’t do well.
“That really irritated me,” Roberts said.
The next day, he gave them the same test only he had provided the actual answers the day before.
“They did so-so,” Roberts said. “That really made me frustrated.”
After giving the same test another two times, Roberts said he landed in the principal’s office. He replied to the principal after being questioned about his reasoning that he wanted to test the students on material they knew, not material they didn’t.
Roberts’ purpose for speaking to education majors Thursday afternoon was to emphasize the importance of the profession.
“The training you are receiving here will leave you better prepared for the challenge of the job,” Roberts said. “... I don’t think there’s a more important profession in this country.”
Roberts said the Kansas school situation is challenging because there are more than 300 school districts with very different needs and very different populations.
“From the urban district in Wichita to the rural districts in Lyon County, our teachers are meeting the challenge,” Roberts said.
Roberts illustrated his point by telling students that Kansas is No. 2 in the country for fourth- and eighth-grade math and No. 6 in the country for fourth- and eighth-grade reading.
Roberts expressed concern about the teacher situation and shortage.
“We have an unperfect storm brewing ...” Roberts said.
That storm mix includes teachers retiring, teachers leaving the profession and not enough teachers entering the field.
“We need more teachers,” Roberts said, adding that more students need to be drawn into education and there needs to be a way to keep them in the profession.
Later in his speech, Roberts commented on federal loan forgiveness programs, which allows new teachers in certain districts to have some of their student loans forgiven. Roberts said he wasn’t sure this was drawing in students when they are still in high school, however.
Roberts said he would like to see the “back door” opened up for potential teachers that would allow a person from another profession to begin teaching.
During the question-and-answer portion of the afternoon, one question concerned the place of the fine arts in the education mix right now. Roberts said the buzz words in education are math and science.
Another audience member asked about No Child Left Behind and how those mandates are going to be handled in the future.
“It is going to be (re-authorized) with more flexibility,” Roberts said.
The flexibility will include a growth model, Roberts said.
Roberts was asked about testing procedures. An audience member expressed concern over standardized tests being geared toward white, middle-class students.
“The states determine what test that students take so you have 50 different answers,” Roberts said.
Roberts said it’s time to do a better job at selling the importance of education.
“I can’t think of anything else more important,” he said. “A teacher will make a difference every day of their lives. You don’t realize it until a student comes back and says you made a difference in their lives.”