With the Bush No Child Left Behind act all schools and teachers are rated by the test scores of the students. The consequence of this teachers now “teach to the test” and the schools put great emphasis on students trying hard on the test.
Good grief!
When crops don’t grow to potential we say “the crops fail”. When students don’t learn the basics we “the students fail”. Frequently when student fail the teachers get blamed. So replace one common use of fail (crops fail) and put it in context of another type of fail (students fail) and you have a joke.
And incredibly lame and forced and weak and uncompelling joke; but something that follows the rules and definitions about how to be a joke…. barely.
Good grief!
Having worked in schools for 30+ years and having been married to a teacher for those 30+ years, I find this very true, sad and insulting. Funny? Not at all . . .
I get the idea that crops sometimes fail, students sometimes fail, and blaming teachers for the crops failing makes somewhat of a joke. But how are these teachers saving the crops – by giving them a “test”? If they were out there with insecticide or fertilizer, it would make a little more sense.
” But how are these teachers saving the crops – by giving them a “test”? If they were out there with insecticide or fertilizer, it would make a little more sense.”
If they were out there with fertilizer or insecticide, they’d be farmers, not teachers.
Testing the soil; testing the . . . you know, like the “No Corn Left Behind” follies.
Or should that be, “No CROP Left Behind”? The whole intent of the NCLB project was the make future voters less able to think for themselves (don’t let me get on my soapbox on the NCLB folly; we were working in the school system when it was begun).
“Let’s see, I’ve got this cartoon about frightened people out in a field with clipboards. I’m sure I had a joke for it, but I’ll be damned if I can remember it. Oh well, I’ll put in something about teachers. I’m sure the checks will keep coming.
Where’s the ‘SEND’ button again?”
I’m sure the obvious answer everyone above has already suggested is in fact the correct one, but my first thought when I saw this (having grown up on a farm myself) is that schools in agricultural communities sometimes have to take into account the needs of the farmers whose kids make up their numbers, since such kids may have to skip school for days when their labor is needed at home (growing seasons, peak harvesting times, etc.are when they are.). So if the teachers, or the school district as a whole, is strict about that stuff, the locals may indeed blame them in part for crops failing (or at least coming in with greater difficulty and below their expectations).
As a sidelight, here in the Twin Cities the state fairgrounds is sited right next to the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota, and since the Fair closes on Labor Day, occasional suggestions to tweak the University calendar to start Fall classes earlier never get anywhere — the massive hordes descending on the Fair would make holding any activity on the St. Paul campus a nightmare. And our State Fair WAS originally strongly focused on agriculture (still present, though no longer as dominant), so that’s a real-life example of farm issues triumphing over educational ones.
But as I said that was just my first, half-formed thought, and I’m sure the simple NCLB joke is the intended one.
” . . .so that’s a real-life example of farm issues triumphing over educational ones.”
The first example was the establishment of the nine-month school ‘year’, altho hot buildings without a/c would have been a factor, also. Schools in our former state (WI) knew that the week before Thanksgiving would have fewer students attending, as it was deer hunting season.
“fewer students…?” In the mountain school district (Grayson Co. Va) they didn’t even bother. Schools closed opening day of deer season – no point in keeping them open.
“If they were out there with fertilizer or insecticide, they’d be farmers, not teachers.”
Or the fact that they are in a field trying to save crops makes them farmers, despite their regular job for the other nine months of the year.
Actually, I like Andrea’s suggestion that they are “testing the soil”. It’s probably not the comic’s intended joke but the play on words would take it to a whole new level humor-wise.
I went to school in an agricultural community; school ended when the berry crop was ready for harvest.
Later I lived in a different area, and at deer hunting season (October for us, not November) the male population of the jr. high and high schools dropped by about 2/3.
“Or the fact that they are in a field trying to save crops makes them farmers”
Sure, if that’s what they were doing. But it isn’t. They’re out there doing exactly the same work to prevent the crop from failing as they normally do to keep children from failing. Which is to say, trying to get posted to schools with strong parent involvement in the childrens’ education.
I share Andrea’s disdain for NCLB… it’s good intentions extremely poorly implemented. Let’s cut off money going to the schools where the children are struggling to achieve. That should work…(My offspring unit received a public education from excellent teachers in good schools, who chose their employer because the history of achievement in that district was high because of strong parental involvement. When you get the kids who value education, educating them is much more effective. The local high-school had half the state’s National Merit Scholars. I pulled my kid out of that school, and sent her to college instead as soon as she turned 16, because the school district would pay for it.)
It is a wonderful and deep joke.
Many things must go right for a crop to be successful:
-correct amount of rain
-correct amount of sun
-appropriate temperature range
-no infestations of pests
-no vandals
-farmer planted at the correct time
-proper fertilizer
I’m sure there are many more factors, but I’m not a farmer and that proves the point. There are many factors at work.
For students to succeed, there are also many things which must go right:
-parents who value education
-properly nourished children
-sufficient funding
-safe environment
-a society that respects academic achievement
-post-education opportunities
-appropriate temperature range
-good teachers
There are many other factors as well. However, unlike crop failures, the only thing that gets the blame for students failing tests is the teachers. There are, as in farming, many things which affect the outcome, but the easy answer of blaming the “fat, lazy, stupid teachers” is always the go-to response to any unsatisfactory test results. Never mind that tests primarily measure how good you are at taking tests and not so much else. As someone who spent a few years teaching, I think it is funny because it’s true. And sad because it’s true.
“unlike crop failures, the only thing that gets the blame for students failing tests is the teachers.”
That’s overly broad. Some blame the students, and some blame the parents. And, of course, racists blame some student failures on, well, their race, which is a specialized form of blaming the students and their parents.
Comics I Don't Understand 
Because teachers get blamed for students failing?
With the Bush No Child Left Behind act all schools and teachers are rated by the test scores of the students. The consequence of this teachers now “teach to the test” and the schools put great emphasis on students trying hard on the test.
Good grief!
When crops don’t grow to potential we say “the crops fail”. When students don’t learn the basics we “the students fail”. Frequently when student fail the teachers get blamed. So replace one common use of fail (crops fail) and put it in context of another type of fail (students fail) and you have a joke.
And incredibly lame and forced and weak and uncompelling joke; but something that follows the rules and definitions about how to be a joke…. barely.
Good grief!
Having worked in schools for 30+ years and having been married to a teacher for those 30+ years, I find this very true, sad and insulting. Funny? Not at all . . .
I get the idea that crops sometimes fail, students sometimes fail, and blaming teachers for the crops failing makes somewhat of a joke. But how are these teachers saving the crops – by giving them a “test”? If they were out there with insecticide or fertilizer, it would make a little more sense.
” But how are these teachers saving the crops – by giving them a “test”? If they were out there with insecticide or fertilizer, it would make a little more sense.”
If they were out there with fertilizer or insecticide, they’d be farmers, not teachers.
Testing the soil; testing the . . . you know, like the “No Corn Left Behind” follies.
Or should that be, “No CROP Left Behind”? The whole intent of the NCLB project was the make future voters less able to think for themselves (don’t let me get on my soapbox on the NCLB folly; we were working in the school system when it was begun).
“Let’s see, I’ve got this cartoon about frightened people out in a field with clipboards. I’m sure I had a joke for it, but I’ll be damned if I can remember it. Oh well, I’ll put in something about teachers. I’m sure the checks will keep coming.
Where’s the ‘SEND’ button again?”
I’m sure the obvious answer everyone above has already suggested is in fact the correct one, but my first thought when I saw this (having grown up on a farm myself) is that schools in agricultural communities sometimes have to take into account the needs of the farmers whose kids make up their numbers, since such kids may have to skip school for days when their labor is needed at home (growing seasons, peak harvesting times, etc.are when they are.). So if the teachers, or the school district as a whole, is strict about that stuff, the locals may indeed blame them in part for crops failing (or at least coming in with greater difficulty and below their expectations).
As a sidelight, here in the Twin Cities the state fairgrounds is sited right next to the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota, and since the Fair closes on Labor Day, occasional suggestions to tweak the University calendar to start Fall classes earlier never get anywhere — the massive hordes descending on the Fair would make holding any activity on the St. Paul campus a nightmare. And our State Fair WAS originally strongly focused on agriculture (still present, though no longer as dominant), so that’s a real-life example of farm issues triumphing over educational ones.
But as I said that was just my first, half-formed thought, and I’m sure the simple NCLB joke is the intended one.
” . . .so that’s a real-life example of farm issues triumphing over educational ones.”
The first example was the establishment of the nine-month school ‘year’, altho hot buildings without a/c would have been a factor, also. Schools in our former state (WI) knew that the week before Thanksgiving would have fewer students attending, as it was deer hunting season.
“fewer students…?” In the mountain school district (Grayson Co. Va) they didn’t even bother. Schools closed opening day of deer season – no point in keeping them open.
“If they were out there with fertilizer or insecticide, they’d be farmers, not teachers.”
Or the fact that they are in a field trying to save crops makes them farmers, despite their regular job for the other nine months of the year.
Actually, I like Andrea’s suggestion that they are “testing the soil”. It’s probably not the comic’s intended joke but the play on words would take it to a whole new level humor-wise.
I went to school in an agricultural community; school ended when the berry crop was ready for harvest.
Later I lived in a different area, and at deer hunting season (October for us, not November) the male population of the jr. high and high schools dropped by about 2/3.
“Or the fact that they are in a field trying to save crops makes them farmers”
Sure, if that’s what they were doing. But it isn’t. They’re out there doing exactly the same work to prevent the crop from failing as they normally do to keep children from failing. Which is to say, trying to get posted to schools with strong parent involvement in the childrens’ education.
I share Andrea’s disdain for NCLB… it’s good intentions extremely poorly implemented. Let’s cut off money going to the schools where the children are struggling to achieve. That should work…(My offspring unit received a public education from excellent teachers in good schools, who chose their employer because the history of achievement in that district was high because of strong parental involvement. When you get the kids who value education, educating them is much more effective. The local high-school had half the state’s National Merit Scholars. I pulled my kid out of that school, and sent her to college instead as soon as she turned 16, because the school district would pay for it.)
It is a wonderful and deep joke.
Many things must go right for a crop to be successful:
-correct amount of rain
-correct amount of sun
-appropriate temperature range
-no infestations of pests
-no vandals
-farmer planted at the correct time
-proper fertilizer
I’m sure there are many more factors, but I’m not a farmer and that proves the point. There are many factors at work.
For students to succeed, there are also many things which must go right:
-parents who value education
-properly nourished children
-sufficient funding
-safe environment
-a society that respects academic achievement
-post-education opportunities
-appropriate temperature range
-good teachers
There are many other factors as well. However, unlike crop failures, the only thing that gets the blame for students failing tests is the teachers. There are, as in farming, many things which affect the outcome, but the easy answer of blaming the “fat, lazy, stupid teachers” is always the go-to response to any unsatisfactory test results. Never mind that tests primarily measure how good you are at taking tests and not so much else. As someone who spent a few years teaching, I think it is funny because it’s true. And sad because it’s true.
“unlike crop failures, the only thing that gets the blame for students failing tests is the teachers.”
That’s overly broad. Some blame the students, and some blame the parents. And, of course, racists blame some student failures on, well, their race, which is a specialized form of blaming the students and their parents.