NEW YORK, NY –– On the day of the test the students said that they were not going to take it, even though their PL teacher was forced to administer it to keep his job. The students understood this contradiction and although they respected their teacher they also recognized the test was against their interests.

The speech they were expected to take notes on and write about in the test was an apology for the rise in oil prices and blamed the working class and winter for the rise in heating oil prices. Many students disrupted the speech, wrote notes about oil and imperialism on their answer sheets and exclaimed that this test was trying to justify the price of oil and shift blame away from the oil wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

A student then said, “I’ve had enough. Let’s go!”  After a moment of silence half the class rose up and followed her. When told to return to their desks, the students raised their fists, shouting “Hell no!  We won’t go!”  The security guard shrugged his shoulders and walked off. The PL teacher returned to his room. 

During the PL teacher’s prep period, several student comrades discussed politics and the test. They decided to disrupt the test. One had a class with five other CHALLENGE readers. She was charged with the more militant act of defiance. The other was in a less supportive situation. She chose to use a silent resistance against the test by refusing to take it. This showed PL’s ability to adapt tactics based upon available forces, and maintain struggle and advance under fire.

One of the members described how her 5th-grade cousin had led a walk-out against the test in her elementary school. Her cousin was sent home from school and her mother had told her that she was proud of her for standing up for what she believed in. The brave act of a 5th-grader inspired her cousin to provide militant communist leadership against the test.

Two other teachers resisted the test. One has met with PLP, reads and distributes CHALLENGE and is a close friend of the PL teacher. The other acted out of conscience after a conversation with the PL teacher about the necessity for resistance. He told all of his students that they could take the test as homework, invalidating the test.

The student PL’er loudly declared that the test would be used for a future draft because students who fail out of school have less options and many join the military (more to come in part 3), and that resistance was necessary. When the teacher tried to silence her in front of the supervisor, another five students stood up and declared that they would not take the test.  That teacher became quite angry and took the political attack personally. 

It turned out that a fourth English teacher, acting independently, told his students the test was garbage. His classes also refused to take the test. All in all, over half a dozen classes in two grades refused to take the test, over half of which occurred through direct PL leadership.

The testing coordinator told the PL teacher not to worry because the test was a joke and supported the struggle as well!

Acts such as this illustrate that every little thing we do counts as patient, slow work can pave the way to direct resistance.  These acts alone will not stop capitalism, let alone the “test craze,” but they do help teach students how to fight, deepen the commitment of PL members and help spread CHALLENGE. This struggle won 10 new CHALLENGE readers. The future for revolution looks bright –– bright red!