A very short time ago
I can still remember how teaching made me smile
And I knew if I teach my way
That my students would be happy everyday
And they’d prepare for the future
But testing made me sick
With every test prep I had used
Bad news in the classroom
I couldn't take one more year
I can't remember if I cried
When I was so bored I stepped outside
But something touched me deep inside
The day my creativity died
[Chorus]
So bye-bye, public school guy
Took my papers to the principal, but she said pray on it
And them good colleagues were saying goodbye and good luck.
Singin' Testing will be the death of our schools
This'll be the day that we die
[Verse 1]
Did you write the testing calendar
And do you have faith in people downtown
If the Principal tells you so?
Now do you believe in prepare and test
Can testing save our teachers’ jobs
And can you teach me to teach to the test?
Well, that testing took away all the fun
'Cause I still see when I visit the schools
You all gave up your fine training
To just teach to the test
I was a teacher who no longer had fun
With a hard working class and music throughout
But I knew I definitely finished
The day the testing began
[Chorus]
So bye-bye, public school guy
Took my papers to the principal, but she said pray on it
And them good colleagues were saying goodbye and good luck.
Singin' Testing will be the death of our schools
This'll be the day that we die
[Verse 2]
Now for ten years I’ve been out of the classroom
And testing has grown more obscene than ever
But that's not how it used to be
When the teacher taught and the children learned
In a way that brought in fun too.
And a pride that came from you and me
Oh, and while the teachers were looking down
The test makers stole from everyone around
The money was spent on tests
Not on classroom requests
And while teachers read scripted texts
Students were bored and lost attention
And we sang dirges in the lounge
The day the testing began
[Chorus]
So bye-bye, public school guy
Took my papers to the principal, but she said pray on it
And them good colleagues were saying goodbye and good luck.
Singin' Testing will be the death of our schools
This'll be the day that we die
[Verse 3]
Helter skelter in a classroom swelter
The students went to playground for a break and shelter
Three days on a skill and no mastery
No review and no remediation
The students were not enriched or challenged
With the reformers on the sidelines criticizing
Now the pressure on the teachers was immense and huge
While the principals played a demanding tune
We all wanted to cry about the tests
Oh, but we never got the chance
'Cause the downtown people try to blame the teachers
The teachers’ union doesn’t protect them either
Do you recall what was it like before
When you could teach and shut the door
[Chorus]
So bye-bye, public school guy
Took my papers to the principal, but she said pray on it
And them good colleagues were saying goodbye and good luck.
Singin' Testing will be the death of our schools
This'll be the day that we die
[Verse 4]
Oh, and there we were all teaching to the test
A generation dumbed down for life
With no time left to learn to think
So come on, Jack be a follower, Jack be a mouse
Jack only knew how to pass tests
'Cause test scores are the only thing that counts
Oh, and as I watched him graduate
My eyes were sad and full of tears
No preparation for life or college
Could darken his future plans
And as the test scores continue to fall
We began to see the picture of all
Blaming teachers and not socio economics
The day the testing began
So bye-bye, public school guy
Took my papers to the principal, but she said pray on it
And them good colleagues were saying goodbye and good luck.
Singin' Testing will be the death of our schools
This'll be the day that we die"
[Outro]
I met a kid who never tested well
And she said that testing was hell
Then she just cried and ran away
Knowin testing was the next day
Where I remember how public school used to be
There was fun and play and learning for you and me
And on the playground, the children screamed
Their tests were over and freedom seemed
But they did not that there were even more
Once that entered the classroom door
And the four men we despise the most
Duncan, Deasy, Gates, and Broad
Want the teachers to carry a bigger load
Don’t forget the others of the fateful road
And they were singin bye-bye, public school guy
Took my papers to the principal, but she said pray on it
And them good colleagues were saying goodbye and good luck.
Singin' Testing will be the death of our schools
This'll be the day that we die
[Chorus]
So bye-bye, public school guy
Took my papers to the principal, but she said pray on it
And them good colleagues were saying goodbye and good luck.
Singin' Testing will be the death of our schools
This'll be the day that we die