This girl of mine has been a bit stressed the past weeks. Everywhere we turn people are talking about the ACT. Most kids around here take the ACT and not the SAT. She worries that she won’t do well. That she will never pass the Math. That she doesn’t read fast enough to complete it all. Tests stress her out. We have never tested. She doesn’t take tests .
And it makes me so mad. When did the ACT/SAT become the end all of everything? I took the ACT. I showed up on the day of the test and took it. There was no tutoring (for a mere $50 or more an hour), no ACT books or apps or classes. I seriously know people that have spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars so their child can “ace the test”. And for what? I know it helps get scholarship money. And trust me, the thought of college tuition just about wipes me out. But really?
This test will never show anyone who Keilee really is. A girl who loves Science above almost everything. Who knows almost every animal in the world. Who runs her own business and has since she was 13. A girl who has Art Journals filled with beautiful pages. A girl who is writing a dystopian novel. A girl with a huge heart that has volunteered since she was 7. Who crochets every single night. A girl whose Bible journal is filled with beauty. Who loves Psychology and DNA and the brain. A girl who creates as naturally as she breathes. A girl who loves to be in Nature. A girl who swims like a fish. A girl who comes alive on stage. A girl who interned at an Animal clinic when she was 13. Who rehabilitated a squirrel. A girl who gives hours and hours of her time as a Princess making little girls dreams come true. A girl who dances and sings around the house. A girl who loves documentaries and loves to learn. A girl whose dream is to go to Africa and work with animals .
And I worry. You know, that “Mom Guilt”. Did I do her an injustice by not being more “schooly”? Should we have done more, bought more curriculum, been stricter? And then I get mad that we are worried. I KNOW with every ounce of my Momma heart that the way we have always learned is the best fit for us. That Keilee knows so much because she has always been free to learn what she is passionate about. That studying for one, stupid test for months and months doesn’t prove anything except that we have gotten it so very wrong as a society .
That learning will always be a part of her. No matter what she makes on a test .
Karen
“Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.” Albert Einstein
“Every hour spent on such exam preparation is an hour not spent helping students to become critical, creative, curious learners.” Alfie Kohn
“Testing improves education the same way that bombing promotes democracy” Steve Cohn, Education professor at Tufts University
Keilee is amazing for sure! Having already seen 6 of my homeschoolers go off to college, there are a couple ways around even taking the ACT or SAT. Some of mine took the SAT and some didn’t. Many online colleges and community colleges don’t require the SAT or ACT. She can enroll in one of these and then when she has proven how smart, talented, and committed to learning she is she can apply to other colleges of her choice.
I hope I can be encouraging to you — we school like you school and I worried over the same but our son took the ACT cold turkey – “just to see what we should work on” – and did quite well enough to enter college and be eligible for a scholarship. Not a full ride, but still it was something. I’m not expecting all of our kids to do that, but if they do – cool! He did do poorly enough in math to be put into the remedial class – TWO steps below college algebra. So he simply took those classes his freshman year with a bunch of other kids and it’s not at all a big deal – he says he’s glad to have had to do this, as it taught him from the basics, building up.
Simply because he LOVES to learn and because he knows HOW to learn, he has done well in college classes. His classmates who scored well on the ACT and got full ride scholarships are very very very stressed and have to take extra classes like ballroom dancing or badminton just to get easy As, so they can keep their GPA high enough to keep the scholarship. Brenden doesn’t have this pressure.
What beautiful, inspiring words about Keilee! In a few years when she is still living her dream life, you will both look back and laugh over these sorts of mini-wobbles. (Of course, I’m saying that to myself as much as you! 😉 )
My 11 year old daughter has been working towards a couple of external awards recently (one for art, one involving writing, both of which she normally loves). Yesterday she commented that “These things are supposed to be extras but I feel like they’re taking me away from what I really want to be doing!” I am so happy she can communicate how she feels so freely and that we’re in a position to rejig things to give her the time she wants to explore her passions. (Which this week is apparently composing and remixing Zelda-inspired music on GarageBand :-))
No test can truly show what we know, who we are, or what we’re capable of. She’ll do just fine! 😀
YES YES YES YES YES. I worry about one piece of this too – like, am I failing Sarah by not asking her to conform more to what is “generally expected”? I truly don’t believe that in my heart but I worry so much!
I love Sarah and I love getting to know you and Keilee virtually and I truly believe these wonderful, amazing young humans of ours will figure it out for themselves. When I’m the most honest I really believe that if Sarah were passionate about something she HAD to have good SAT scores for, she could and would do it. But in reality, she probably won’t need to, and that’s OK!
We are finding as the children get older things are beginning to get a bit more serious. In the UK you need to take an exam for each subject. T has his first in physics in January and it has now become all about how I can help him to pass. He wants to go to uni which he aims to pay for himself without getting into debt, so he needs the exams. They have such a short carefree childhood, don’t they? I’m so pleased we have homeschooled and are able to make the most of that short time.
There are test optional colleges(see fairtest.org) and community colleges don’t need test scores and are cheaper as well. Does Keilee know what she wants to do as a career?
I don’t know what our future with testing will hold except that I would rather my girls opt out. Here the SAT, SAT II, AP and ACT are all pushed upon teens. Testing companies charge THOUSANDS of dollars and families willingly hand it over. It all feels like such a scam to me.
I always think that one of the most stressful periods of homeschooling is when you are considering hooking back into “the system” since it is at that point that you end up considering things other than what you think is the best education for that particular child. Here,the state qualification (required for university admission) is a three year process – constant internal assessments plus exams. We’ve opted to skip it and gamble on the kids getting into university (if they want) through other, less certain means. It worked for the first two and it looks like we’ll be trying for the third time at the end of this year. Fingers crossed! This approach has cost in terms of being ineligible for some funding, but I never felt that sacrificing three years of educational freedom was worth the money. Since the kids have had to take responsibility for their own university costs they have taken on debt so I hope they don’t end up resenting that choice!
Keilee is so lucky that you value learning rather than exam results. Should she want to go to university I’m sure there are ways in – the community college route or a portfolio approach (she’s rock that I’m sure). Sadly tests are a part of much further education but they don’t have to be the be -all and end-all, and test results are no measure of a person’s worth or even an accuarte measure of the learning they are meant to assess.
Good luck sticking to the path that is right for Keilee.
Being Canadian, ACT/SAT testing is not that common up here so I had go investigate it. Scary! I would do well in the math, science and read sections but the two writing sections… I would fail.
I have every confidence that Keilee will do well in life. You have prepared her for the real world not some test and that is far better.
Amen sister!! We don’t test and I have just chosen not to stress out over it. Currently Grace doesn’t even want to go to college – so who knows if we will even do the whole ACT/SAT thing. Too much stress for these young people with the whole testing and which college will I get in thing. Okay, I will now step off my soap box.
Blessings
Diane
I am beyond grateful that neither of my children has bought into the college racket.
And I agree with you 100% on the testing thing. It’s crazy. Insane. And the people who are so stressed out over a stupid test would have more of my sympathy, but they’ve followed the crazy idea that people can’t learn anywhere but school. That learning and knowledge can be quantified.