I could see relief and bewilderment mixed together flooding through my daughter.
“I want you to do your best,” I clarified, “because you should ALWAYS do your best. But I don’t care what score you get…do you understand? You know your dad and I have always told you we care more about you being a good PERSON over being a good STUDENT. We care the LEAST about whether you’re in the 99th percentile or the 50th percentile or the 7th percentile of 5th graders in the state. It just doesn’t matter.”
I think she got it, then. Later that night I repeated it to her 8th grade brother. My first grader, however, struggles with motivation, so I didn’t tell him I don’t care how he does, LOL. We’ll save that for when he has more “care” in general!
But honestly, if you’re listening State of Ohio: I hate the way you use my kids to measure your performance. My three, like all their classmates, are so unique and individual and I hate it that their abilities are measured on a “standardized” one-size-fits-all scale. Though I have two who will probably do well anyway, I have one who might never show his true level of ability on one of your tests.
But I am cool with that…because this year’s results are going in the trash. As a parent today,I have SO MUCH to worry about…your test and its results just doesn’t make the cut.
Parents, I invite you to join me in not opening your kids’ school state testing results when they come in the mail. Let’s all trash them together, or better yet – have a bonfire! After all, are they going to change what your child means to you, or what he or she is capable of? Of course not. As for me and my house, we’re gonna stick with teacher feedback and reports cards, and do our best to let our kids be kids – and not statistics.
