Thursday, January 6, 2011

Magical Thinking

Dr. Linda J. Jacobs, a lifelong educator, shares her thoughts on standardized tests, saying:
Why can't we realize that democracy or not, all humans are not created equally when it comes to academic prowess.  We are not created equally when it comes to other abilities either but we seem to have an easier time accepting unequal athletic ability or unequal artistic ability.

I used to love the story The Emperor's New Clothes. Now I am waiting for someone to have the courage of the child in the story and say all this standard stuff is as unreal as the Emperor's New Clothes. We need a leader in education who will stand up and say, we need to teach children based on their needs not ours. Not everyone SHOULD go to college.  Not everyone NEEDS higher order math achievement. There are multiple futures for our children and we should respect them enough to teach and prepare them for their individual skill set.
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