I like big binders

Several years ago, I taught in my favorite middle school in Tulsa. The team I worked with was a dedicated group of professionals who still managed to make me enjoy faculty meetings (which can be a remarkable feat one should not underestimate!) One year, our school began a program called AVID, which was aimed at taking students on the proverbial cusp and helping them improve grades, and go to college or vocational school. At the annual talent show, the team decided to perform a song called "I Like Big Binders" to the tune of Sir Mix-A-Lot's more uncouth version. We practiced after school for several days and took the time to learn the lyrics. When the big day arrived, we pulled ourselves on stage and belted out our performance. It brought the house down thanks to our enthusiastic eighth grade audience.
Performing a song at a talent show could have had several effects, but the most important effect for me was building a shared sense of community for our students and teachers. Students who see me as a knowledgeable, caring source of help are more likely to perform well in class and on the test.
It's too bad that our state superintendent of education and some state legislators would not reach out to public educators in the same way we reached out to our students to build a community, rather than tearing down a teacher's professionalism via insincere emails.
They could invite more teachers to share their observations and analyses of their classrooms. They could make meaningful visits to a variety of schools. They could respond to questions educators and parents pose. They could acknowledge that despite a teacher's Herculean efforts to help children, not all of her students may see test scores improve. They could ask "How can we help your students?" and listen to our answers.