"I don’t know where I would be today if my teachers’ job security was based on how I performed on some standardized test. If their very survival as teachers was based on whether I actually fell in love with the process of learning but rather if I could fill in the right bubble on a test. If they had to spend most of their time desperately drilling us and less time encouraging creativity and original ideas; less time knowing who we were, seeing our strengths and helping us realize our talents. I honestly don’t know where I’d be today if that was the type of education I had. I sure as hell wouldn’t be here. I do know that this has been a horrible decade for teachers. I can’t imagine how demoralized you must feel. But I came here today to deliver an important message to you: As I get older, I appreciate more and more the teachers that I had growing up. And I’m not alone. There are millions of people just like me. "
I couldn't have said it better myself! How wonderful it would be if we could concentrate on developing a love of learning rather than the scores on standardized tests. Maybe some day (not in my lifetime, and probably not in my grandchildren's lifetime) we'll learn to "test" children on their appreciation for the learning process and the ability to solve problems through exploration rather than their memory on standardized tests. Ahhh....
Happy Teaching (anyway!)
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