tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787999482934202364.post1627461526256965166..comments2023-05-28T07:46:13.657-04:00Comments on social issues: TestingLeonard Wakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10948820385522641682noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787999482934202364.post-53660847132061787762009-01-29T15:39:00.000-05:002009-01-29T15:39:00.000-05:00In response to AB:I think I'm skeptical about the ...In response to AB:<BR/><BR/>I think I'm skeptical about the premise in the first place, also about intelligence testing of 4 year olds. I think it's probably true that some people are more intelligent than others, but the minds of 4 year olds are such wild cards. Even more than the intelligence of adults, I suspect theirs works in curious ways. Also, other parents have told... Read More me that a key part of preparation for these tests is getting your kid comfortable heading off with a cheery stranger, which has nothing to do with smarts. <BR/><BR/>So in short, I don't think there is any way to get around testing, but I think the whole business is screwy. I feel sucked in -- don't want to make my child sit through uninspiring teaching for the sake of my principles, but the whole business sits as heavy as a bag of hostess doughnuts.Amy Shuffeltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10225473946644348204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787999482934202364.post-27453216657490713622009-01-28T09:19:00.000-05:002009-01-28T09:19:00.000-05:00It doesn't seem to get better with age either. My ...It doesn't seem to get better with age either. My daughter, now in college (and who went through similar testing as a preschooler) called the other night with a panic attack. She hadn't registered for the GRE, and was certain that she wouldn't get into graduate school, and the litany of problems continued. Finally, I had a chance to squeeze in a couple words. "What graduate schools are you thinking about?" She had a couple, but hasn't done much research. "Do they require the GRE?" She wasn't sure. "When do you plan to apply?" She feared that because her friends were beginning the application process for medical school, that meant that she needed to as well. So much anxiety over what is perceived as a "life or death" situation. We need to teach our kids that tests are not life, and that a less-than-desired result is not the end. If she had internalized the comments of the evaluator for preschool, and her second-grade teacher, she would probably be stocking shelves at Wal-Mart. I guess I should be happy that her anxiety revolves around graduate school!Jennifer Rahnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095331679065957590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787999482934202364.post-34048978473347744392009-01-27T17:32:00.000-05:002009-01-27T17:32:00.000-05:00Interesting piece! One question that occurs to me ...Interesting piece! <BR/><BR/>One question that occurs to me is that -- given that you are choosing not only public schooling, but specifically public school for gifted kids -- how would you recommend that such schools go about selecting their student body, if not via some kind of testing? That is to say, I certainly believe that the constant drive of the educational establishment to evaluate the achievement of little kids is... unhelpful? absurd? But a school for gifted kids necessarily implies *some* sort of a priori evaluation, so I don't quite see how you could get around it in this context. (Or are you skeptical about the premise of selective public schooling in the first place, but think that this particular school happens to be the best practical option around?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787999482934202364.post-75843356922509647842009-01-26T21:15:00.000-05:002009-01-26T21:15:00.000-05:00I enjoyed reading this, Amy. Thought-provoking.I enjoyed reading this, Amy. Thought-provoking.Sejalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08321597702577282719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787999482934202364.post-64263603906679084982009-01-26T21:02:00.000-05:002009-01-26T21:02:00.000-05:00I hate tests. They make me want to throw up.I hate tests. They make me want to throw up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8787999482934202364.post-8506360843085051862009-01-26T11:06:00.000-05:002009-01-26T11:06:00.000-05:00So not only is the young lady taking her first tes...So not only is the young lady taking her first test, she's also making her first comment on the whole thing! And very articulately, too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com