Testing Schmesting

Standardized testing.

Ugh.

The thorn in the side of any educator.  Whether you work in the conventional school setting or teach at home, it all boils down to this.  Or so they would tell you.  Although I still haven't figured out who THEY are...but THEY sound scary enough.

The test that reflects what your students know.  What they have absorbed.  Whether you did your job as their teacher or not.

Oh, sure...it's supposed to be a reflection on the student.  Of their level.  Of their abilities. 

Puh-shaw. 

We all know it's really a test of the teacher.  Did you teach fractions efficiently?  Did you cram in enough new vocabulary words to increase the student's climb up that percentile ladder?  Did you review how to properly fill in an answer bubble sheet enough?  Perhaps you should have studied up on tried and true "guessing" methods and passed the priceless knowledge on to your pupils.  Maybe. Perhaps.  I wonder.

Today Keaton took the test that reflects my ability to do this home-schooling thing.

His answer when I asked him how he thought he did?

"I think I failed."

Awesome.


(Please hear me:  I do understand that the evidence of my children's academic successes are not held entirely in the palms of these tests.  I really do.  But I also can make myself believe that a piece of chocolate cake is a health food.  I'm American.  It's what we do.  But there is just something terrifying about ONE test that holds this grasp of culmination on  your entire effort at something incredibly hard.  And don't pretend like you wouldn't feel the same way....because you know you would!  And if you wouldn't...then eat all the chocolate cake you want...because you're perfect.)