“He cared about them enough to take a stand,” said science teacher Erin Stephens about her former colleague Carl Chew. “It shows how much teachers care about their students well being.”

Carl Chew is a teacher at Nathan Eckstein Middle School in Seattle who has become famous the past month for his refusal to proctor the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) to his sixth grade class; as a result he was suspended for two weeks without pay. According to the Seattle Times, Chew said “I did it because I think it’s bad for kids.”

Chew told school officials he would not give his students the test. Many tried to talk him out of it, but in the end Chew stuck to his morals. He knew ahead of time that there would be consequences, but he gladly accepts them. “When you do an act of civil disobedience, you gracefully accept what happens to you.”

Chew, a veteran teacher administered the WASL before, yet still gave it.

“Every year that I had to do anything with the WASL, I promised myself that this’ll be the last year that I do this, but as a teacher, I mean, how do you do that?” said Chew in an interview with Seattle Times.

Chew may be the first teacher to refuse to administer the WASL and along with it he raises new and old questions. First being whether it is a good and positive way to gauge students’ learning. Also one of the main worries is the cost. The WASL, according to reports, cost $28 per subject per student tested. Tenth grade WASL takers test in four subjects, meaning it cost taxpayers $112 per tenth grader to be assessed.

Chew’s actions have put people on both sides of the fence. “ I think standardized testing is here to stay.”

Kentwood sophmore Lory Pham said “the WASL just causes unnecessary stress on students.” Junior Brain Glaholt, who successfully passed all potions of the test, agreed with Pham. “It’s a ridiculous add-on that we shouldn’t have to take.”

On saveseattleschool.blogspot.com, Chew listed numerous problems with the test, and people have responded saying they “despise the WASL” and Chew is “creative, engaging and rigorous.”

Many people have lended Chew their support including the Parent Empowerment Network, who has asked people to help repay Chew’s lost wages. Yet Chew has denied any financial help and instead requests that people give it to organizations opposing standardized testing.

Many people have asked “who is he to question the WASL?” But if not Carl Chew, then who? Someone has to be the one to knock all the dominos down, maybe it is Chew.

So many people complain and whine about how bad the WASL is, but don’t act because of fear which is totally justified, as few are as well off as Chew (his wife being a doctor). It takes a man of courage and high morals to stand up for what he believes, knowing he could lose his job.

Kentwood science teacher Erin Stephens taught with Chew last year. “He was my mentor” said Stephens.

Stephens depicts Chew as one of those crazy teachers you always say “hi” to in the hall. “He would sometimes play his accordion in the hallway! Kids would look at him like he was crazy, but they loved it.”

Stephens was worried when she heard the news about Chew, yet “proud that he felt very strongly and stood up for what he believed in” she said.

Stephen believes that WASL aside, one of the messages to be taken away form Carl Chew’s actions is taking a stand. “It’s important to stand up for what you believe in, and its important that middle school students see that so they don’t succumb to outside pressures.”