PSAT...rific!

Today I took the PSAT, which is ironic because I was taking the practice test for a practice test of the SAT, even though I already took the SAT for practice in 8th grade! It's funny the way these things happen. I have always been opposed to standardized tests, but eager to be successful when I get back my scores. I always take risks, writing essays (though not for the PSAT) that answer the prompt, but in a creative and roundabout way. I am not a nervous test taker, and I never feel "pressed" for time. Today, I found myself staring at a sentence in the writing portion, knowing which answer I should put down but wanting to reword the sentence completely. I thought to myself, pencil in hand, "Wouldn't it be great if I could just rewrite this sentence in my own words in a way that makes more sense?" I'm sure many people have felt this way about similar sections, but then again, who isn't at least a little dissatisfied with standardized tests (besides those who write them)? Of course, I will continue making myself into a score until I apply for college, eager yet dissatisfied. Maybe someday "they" will understand that each student is an individual, and that quantifying that individuality is a crime against education. But then again, maybe someday we'll ride hovercrafts, you just never know!

Sophomore Year...

It wasn't until I reached this year that I realized how fortunate I was in all of my classes as a Freshman. I had a history teacher who understood that her role as a teacher was not to tell us what to think, but to encourage us TO think. I had an English teacher who pushed the boundaries of education, encouraging us to become "professional learners" who cared more about the big picture and the personal growth than the grades or standardized tests. I feel like I had my own little team, a support group that showed me why and how education can work for me, instead of the other way around. After a summer of personal discovery and intellectual growth, I came back to the same amazing place where I had learned so much the year before, only to find myself back in the very same setting that I thought I had escaped. The first day of school, I entered history class, eager to see how cultures of the world interacted with one another. I was, sadly, dissapointed by a teacher who seems to care little about his students and even less about their learning growth. The class consists of an endless barrage of notes, memorization, and regurgitation of useless information. There is no discussion, and I feel like the world is getting smaller instead of larger. He might as well be standing 200 feet away speaking through a microphone for how much he listens to our opinions. Math is, as ever, seemingly useless. It consists of notes, problems, and tests over and over again in a never-ending cycle. I get through it, but somehow miss the point. Chemistry is hardly cohesive, jumping from subject to subject and laden with busywork that I see no point to, except for the insuing grade. For all of my whining, there is one thing to rejoice in, my Honors American Literature with a wonderful teacher who challenges us to read between the lines and forget about the grade. I feel free in her class and even if I didn't need to be there every day, I would go.

I guess the point of my little rant is this, I am fed up with an education system that seems to care nothing about me as an individual, instead caring only about me as a test score. I am tired of infinate campus (which is hardly infinite), teachers who are afraid of change, and tests that simply show how well we can retain the one-sided lectures of our old-fashioned teachers. I want a teacher, like my two wonderful English teachers, who is there to guide, not to dictate. I want a teacher who understands that grades are not the end all, be all. I want to come to a school where my excitement over a recently read novel is not looked down upon by my peers, but respected and even common. I want every teacher to embrace technology instead of fear it, and give us every opportunity to explore ourselves and the world of learning. Only through highly personalized education can we combat drop-out rates and careless students.

I feel alone in my student body, one of the only remaining students who looks forward to meaningful assignments and learning. We need a change, and we need it now.