Provocateur Pieces: Teaching Story

This provocation is a personal essay of creative nonfiction. Playing with form, the piece offers three scenes separated by a series of multiple-choice questions; readers must use this standardized-test format to create meaning and understand the text itself, the nature of today’s high-stakes tests, the story’s characters, and the essence of teaching. While the names of the students and one staff member have been changed to protect their privacy, the events are true to the author’s experience.