Day: June 2, 2014

I’m terrified of standardized testing.

It comes from having a 9 yr old son that believes Ralph S. Mouse lives near the top of his Lexile spectrum. Now this technically puts him either behind target for 5th grade or spot on for going into fifth. Factor in the dyslexia, and you have a recipe for a kid about to enter a world of learning that can quickly landslide into a world of hurt.

He doesn’t much care for reading and only does so through force of Dad or school or both. It is hard, and like all kids he abhors hard work the way nature abhors a vacuum. He will work hard at sports because it is fun and he is good at it. Sometimes math falls under that same category. Reading is a chore. He abhors chores.

Putting aside the fact that I’ve used abhor three times (four!) already, I believe it is my responsibility to culture him to being a reader before it is too late. 5th grade feels like that line. He is about to hit middle school and the testing is about to rip his learning world apart. Standardized testing fails to take into account social pressures, socialization, and any disabilities the kid may have. The tests are meant to reach the widest baseline audience so they fail anyone that falls off that baseline for whatever reason. They don’t make sense, as this lovely Onion skit shows. There are alternatives–ask Kentucky. However, we aren’t built for that. We are a country that claims to be about individuality but is built for one size fits all.

I’m scared of standardized testing. I’m scared of what it means for my son’s future as a learner and as someone who believes in himself. I want to see him succeed confidently. I’m starting to believe that I’m going to need to find other ways to make that happen.

 

Some Thoughts:

1. Game of Thrones took it to the next level in graphic violence last night. Call me a wuss, but I cared about the character in question, so I’ll be carrying that image with me for some time. It reminded me of the worst gang violence i’ve seen–either personally or through the net. More jaded souls might say, “meh. It was average.” I consider myself lucky that it was not.

In another few days I’ll be refreshed and prepared to dive back into serious writing. This calm that follows the completion of a major project is a wonderful thing. I’ve spent my hours being creative in a variety of new ways. I’ve been playing with the boys, creating games and designing cool graphics and story to support the gaming. MarioKart is in full swing, the pool is open and exciting, and Youth basketball is only days away. I made a few graphics for that (not the Pacers. I still cannot bring myself to fully support the Pacers. Might as well throw a Cowboys Jersey on me while you’re at it).

The key of it all is a profound joy for daily life. The summer workload is lighter, giving room for a much needed recharge. I get, if only for a brief moment, a chance to pause and reflect. Pause and catch fire. Take the mental time to self-evaluate and then charge back into the world ready to explode.

I’m convinced that the majority of people need only a purpose and a firm backbone–be it their own or some external motivator keeping them active and pushing towards that goal. I’m equally convinced that most of us don’t have that. We have a few years of hard action and then we pause. That pause stretches into days, weeks, years, until we forget what it even felt like to drive hard towards a goal, to want to be better, to feel happy and engaged.

Pause. Just don’t forget to hit play afterwards.