Kids, State Tests and Malls
Today I happened to overhear a conversation as I was waiting to get a coffee at our local mall that made me realize the impact that testing has on our kids and how teachers can make a huge difference in the attitude that our kids have towards it. During the next couple of weeks kids all over the United States will be involved in some sort of standardized state assessment. Here was this 10 year old telling her mom that tomorrow she was going to take the FCAT (that is Florida’s state test) and that she was going to do fine since this test was a snapshot of what she had been learning the entire year. She kept talking and talking in a self-assured tone. I sensed that her teacher was a person who really understood the importance of telling her students that this test was just that “a test” she had taught them and they were prepared to take it. I sensed that the child felt calm and confident. The lesson to me was simple – a child’s self-esteem is critical and parents and teachers need to cultivate and delvelop it. Kudos to that mom who listened with all the love in her heart!