Interview with Carla Traynham, History 150 Spring 2020, Conducted by Teagan Fenderson, March 11, 2020.

Biography:

     Carla Traynham was my fourth-grade teacher at Tuckahoe Elementary school in Richmond, Virginia. She taught for approximately 30 years before retiring in 2011. Although she is currently retired from having her own classroom, she works at Tuckahoe Elementary as a long-term substitute. Mrs. Traynham’s teaching experience at Tuckahoe Elementary School was a very special, and not average teacher’s experience. Tuckahoe is a very fortunate school, with substantial funding and extreme parental support. The majority of students who attend the school come from middle to upper-middle class families, who are typically financially stable. Henrico County, where Tuckahoe is located, has a population of 39% Caucasian individuals (Virginia Department of Education Fall Membership Report, 2018). This is reflected in the school where the majority of the student body is Caucasian.

     In 1966 “Tuckahoe Elementary School opened with a new addition; its racial composition was then 3.3% black” (Bradley v. School Board of City of Richmond, Vir.). Tuckahoe is still as starkly Caucasian as it was in 1966, and there is a disparity in achievement between the white and non-white students.According to the Virginia Department of Education School Quality Profiles, African American students at Tuckahoe Elementary school are not even categorized for test scores, due to the extremely low percentage of black students that attend there. Teaching in a school similar to Tuckahoe Elementary would be a very different experience than teaching at an inner-city school, or even other elementary schools within Henrico County. For example, at some elementary schools, teachers do not have printer paper costs covered by the school. Working at Tuckahoe may even be seen as a privilege due to the environment and the immense parent and community support.

Virginia Department of Education. “Henrico County Public Schools Student Membership by Ethnicity.” Henrico County Public Schools Student Membership by Ethnicity, Virginia Department of Education, Sept. 2018, henricoschools.us/pdf/FactsFiguresTesting/MembershipByEthnicity.pdf.

Bradley v. School Board of City of Richmond, Vir., 338 F. Supp. 67, 131 (E.D. Va. 1972)

Virginia Department of Education. “Tuckahoe Elementary.” Virginia School Quality Profiles, schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/tuckahoe-elementary-2#fndtn-desktopTabs-essa.

Interview Transcription:

Teagan Fenderson  0:00 

So today I will be conducting this interview with a focus on education and the changes within the education system in relation to the No Child Left Behind Act. Will you please state your full name for me?

Carla Traynham  0:11 

Carla Traynham.

 Teagan Fenderson  0:12 

Thank you. First I want to ask if you could give me a bit of a background on where you grew up where you went to college and why you chose education.

Carla Traynham  0:22 

I was born in Richmond, Virginia. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I went to Longwood College back then before Longwood University and have a degree in elementary education, grades four through seven. I started teaching at Tuckahoe Elementary School in Richmond, right after I graduated and was fortunate to teach there for all my life for 33 years. And now I substitute and help out with long term lead.

Teagan Fenderson  0:54 

Do you think that you could discuss with me what being an educator was like before the No Child Left Behind Act was passed. Were there standardized tests or other requirements that you had to do?

Carla Traynham  1:07 

It was a different world back then, you could teach whatever you wanted to, which was interesting we did back in the 70s and 80s, when I started using textbooks. So for science and social studies, you could teach whatever areas you want it to. It was so much more open and so much more creativity there.

Teagan Fenderson  1:33 

Right. And I’m like, assessment wise. What do you guys make up your own tests? Were there these big tests like that were standardized or was it very much individual?

Carla Traynham  1:45 

You could make up your own tests. We had a lot of discussion questions and more where you showed you work. It wasn’t the multiple choice test at all. And it wasn’t anybody giving you a test that you had to all give.

Teagan Fenderson  2:02 

Gotcha. So then in relation to the school itself, not just classrooms, what was the environment like after the No Child Left Behind Act was passed?

Carla Traynham  2:15 

I would say and I’m very fortunate, and you were fortunate to to attend a school that had, you know, such top quality students, teachers, a great program. So, you know, I can’t give you the knowledge of what it would be like to teach at a low income school and to see that. And I felt like we had a strong curriculum and didn’t need all of this from the No Child Left Behind, but it did create a lot of stress. And that makes me sad to see that the testing is just out of control and just all the test prep frenzy, and all of the required testing that we have to do now has changed things.

Teagan Fenderson  3:08 

Right. Right. So you would say that the environment became a lot more stressful? And do you think that was also related to people keeping their jobs?

Carla Traynham  3:18 

You know, I never really saw it come down to that, where teachers were afraid of their jobs at the school that I worked, but I know that it did for other people. And I think it was just always that fear, I think, teachers to put a lot of pressure on themselves, or just that type of person. So people did worry about it.

Teagan Fenderson  3:43 

Right. So when I was doing my research, it said that with the new push for the schools, they wanted to have a 100% proficiency rate in reading and math by the end of 2014. Obviously, I know that you retired before that, but how On Track Did you feel with your students for completing that?

Carla Traynham  4:05 

I never had to worry about mastering that. I personally felt like I was getting more pressure because of teaching the gifted, that my kids would be the ones that all would be “pass advanced” and everything so I had that pressure.

Teagan Fenderson  4:26 

Right so with the testing, you felt like there was a lot more pressure to have like a higher rate of proficiency not just proficiency…

Carla Traynham  4:35 

Yes.

Teagan Fenderson  4:36 

And did you feel like that was only put on the gifted teachers?

Carla Traynham  4:41 

I think it was just expected, a lot of it I probably put on myself too, but that started to be a focus which I thought you would find that interesting.

Teagan Fenderson  4:51 

Yeah, definitely. Okay, um, so I know we kind of talked about that we are at a more affluent school. But do you believe that working in a more affluent school system related to the student success?

Carla Traynham  5:09 

I just think it was–I just, it’s just so much parent support, which is wonderful. And I think that that attributes to the success of the school and the kids love learning, motivated, overall great behavior. So that that helps.

Teagan Fenderson  5:30 

Right. And then do you think because we happen to have that higher rate of success? Did that bring in  more rewards for the school? Did it bring in more money?

Carla Traynham  5:43 

Yes, we did. I mean, we’ve always, you know, gotten top awards and even higher awards because of their scores. I think there are things about the No Child Left Behind that are that could be good. I did see more to come into school, and our dynamics have changed, but I do you think we’ve gotten into teaching that narrow set of skills with everything test related.

Teagan Fenderson  6:15 

So what do you think some of the largest changes you had to make in your classroom or your teaching style after it was passed?

Carla Traynham  6:24 

Just following, you know, that curriculum which I can do, and I think at first, I felt like I couldn’t be as creative with my teaching, but I was able, you know, with time to, to feel like I got that back. I didn’t, I didn’t let this hold me back from teaching and I’ve just, I’ve just always been one of those teachers too that, and I hope you felt this way, that really tried to get to know my kids and taught from the heart and it certainly wasn’t a test score that I was trying to reach with each student, you know, child, and just wanted them to love learning. But it definitely changed what I taught and how I prepared. Everything is always focused on the test. You are thinking about that all the time.

Teagan Fenderson  7:18 

Mm. And then I feel like we’ve kind of discussed this, but what are your overall thoughts on standardized testing? And how do you think they represent a student’s success?

Carla Traynham  7:29 

Oh, I don’t at all. And I just think it’s so sad when we go through the testing for these little kids. I mean kindergarteners are tested, I think more than any grade in Henrico County. I mean, they’re constantly being tested and the teachers don’t have help with– you’ve got to test the child one on one and then what are you going to do with the rest of the kids? It just takes so much time from your teaching to give the test, and during the testing time, I mean, the whole schools got to be quiet, you’ve got signs up and you can’t on the day of testing, even tell your children good luck. That’s against the rules. You just have to read the test from the book and you feel like a robot when you’re doing it. It just makes me sad for the kids that experience that, that’s not what learning is about. I think there’s also more emphasis–which is great–the kids need to have reading and math, but I think that it’s so much focus on that, that the children aren’t getting as much of the science and social studies, which I feel like are important, too. We were able to do all that before.

Teagan Fenderson  8:41  

Right. Definitely. So then overall, would you say standardized education is beneficial or would you say that it’s harmful or maybe a bit of both for the students?

Carla Traynham  8:55 

I think it’s certainly you want to know how your child is progressing. I think that that’s given parents that information, but overall, no, the testing, I think, really brought down our education system and it concerns me. For the students going through school now and for my grandchildren, you know, to have to experience that.

Teagan Fenderson  9:19 

Right. Do you foresee anything in the future where maybe standardized testing won’t be as heavily emphasized?

Carla Traynham  9:28 

I think it’s starting to go that way. We don’t test as much now for science and social studies, like we used to third grade used to test every subject and I thought that that was so difficult for them at that age, but that’s slowly being taken away. So I think it will eventually go back but just having these multiple choice tests, that’s all the kids know. You know, and I don’t think that would be good to do written essays like you used to do. Or you don’t get to, you know, see their work on any of their subject areas. It’s just a ABCD answer and life’s not that way.

Teagan Fenderson  10:16 

Mm hm. Definitely. So I have one more question.

Carla Traynham  10:22 

Sure.

Teagan Fenderson  10:23 

How do you think different parts of Virginia or different parts of the country were maybe affected by this as compared to us?

Carla Traynham  10:34 

I think there probably were schools that needed this. I think there were places that had teachers that weren’t certified in subjects and that’s stricter now. And I think there were some that needed a stronger curriculum. So there could be–you know, I think those people really did need it. I just didn’t feel like we did at the school that I taught.

Teagan Fenderson  11:03 

Right.

Carla Traynham  11:04 

I’ve loved teaching, and I, and I hope that, that it’s the right thing for you. I hope that it will work out for you.

Teagan Fenderson  11:12 

Thank you so much.

Carla Traynham  11:14 

I’ve really loved it. And I think sometimes you can talk to people and they’ll be all, you know, don’t go into it.

Teagan Fenderson  11:21 

Yeah.

Carla Traynham  11:21 

It’s wonderful. I love it. I love going back to Tuckahoe. Probably, you know, my favorite thing to do to just read with the kids.

Teagan Fenderson  11:30 

Right.

Carla Traynham  11:30 

I just think that’s so important. So I haven’t let those standardized tests, you know, stop me. It can get really strict, Teagan, and there’s some schools where they will just say, you know, you don’t have time to read aloud, you need to constantly be testing and retesting, and we really didn’t have that at Tuckahoe. But it still it changed things. I mean, they’ll look and there’s not as many like fun creative activities as it used to be but I always make sure I have time to read. I think that’s important.

Teagan Fenderson  12:02 

Well, thank you so much. That was really, really helpful.

Carla Traynham  12:06 

Does that help you?

Teagan Fenderson  12:07 

Yes, a lot.

Carla Traynham  12:08 

I hope so.

Final Thoughts:

Mrs. Traynham and I spoke over the phone in order to conduct the interview. It went smoothly except for a few times when the phone connection cut out. However, I simply asked her to repeat what she had previously said and was able to edit out the issues. I actually conducted my interview in my car, parked in my driveway, because it was the quietest place I could find at home. I called her using my iPhone, and recorded our conversation on Audacity, using my headphone microphone. I think the sound turned out pretty well for using the only equipment I had on hand. Overall, I would say the interview went well with only a few technological issues.

I loved interviewing Mrs. Traynham, as she was my fourth-grade teacher when I attended Tuckahoe Elementary School. If I were do reconduct the interview, I would definitely prefer to speak in person. I think that our conversation could have gone in even more directions had we been face to face. I did think that the interview flowed fairly well. However, it was more of me asking questions and her answering, rather than us having a conversation. When I went “off script” it was challenging, however, I believe some of the best information I received was from getting slightly off topic.