This past week Molly and Caleb took their first ever standardized tests. It was the TCAPs- Tennessee’s way of measuring our kids, their teachers and their school administrators.
The testing protocol was quite rigid they reported. Don’t look around. Pick up your pencil when told. No coughing or nose blowing allowed. And when you’re done- sit and wait.
Molly told me how hard it was to just sit their and stare at her desk for 30 or more minutes since she finished the tests rather quickly. And I feel bad for the teachers. I can’t imagine that when the teachers envisioned their future as educators, this is the picture that came to mind.
What’s more disturbing to me is how we have come to accept this as normal, yea verily, even healthy for the kids.
High performance on a standardized test is no indicator of future success. But yet in all the smoke and mirrors and gobbly gook of academic yabber, we’re led to believe this is a good thing.
True indicators of success include: Perseverance, good relationship skills, curiosity and resourcefulness. Stuff that can never be quantified on a test.
This compelling desire to box up our children and quantify them like some sort of factory widget has been around for a long time.
Theodoris Van Gogh had this perspective. He felt that if his son didn’t fit the mold…his son was the problem, not the mold. Tsk, tsk. I’m grateful his boy followed his heart; how about you?
Do you suppose Vincent would have done well on the TCAPs?
Hey! Be sure and join Deb Ingino and I for a chat about learning differences THIS THURSDAY at 9:00 pm cst. Cut and paste the link in the right sidebar for all the info. We’re going to have a lot of fun!
Filed under: ADD/ADHD, education, Individuality, Labels are for Soup Cans, parenting, Public schooling, Special Needs' Kids, Uncategorized Tagged: | ADD/ADHD, education, Labels, Labels are for Soup Cans, learning differences, public schools, TCAP
Good (albeit sad) message, Theresa.
We know those damn boxes expand beyond the public classroom. If you’re not a heard follower then be prepared for resistance. In our heart of hearts we all desire to be accompanied by others on our journeys, but when our hearts tell us that we don’t fit in with the multitude then we must follow our hearts and get used to the aloneness which more accompanies those who refuse to be boxed and labeled.
Hey, there’s a book title in there somewhere.
Theresa,
I wonder how many kids resort to drugs to mask the inadequacy of being stuffed into a mold….thanks so much for your words! I also liked Dave’s comment. Thanks for making my day…again!