We Learn Testing in School

I was recently at our local library with my daughter and we met a kindergartener who attends the public schools here in Lawrence.  I asked the inevitable question, “So what did you learn in Kindergarten?”  and was completely taken back by the response.  “We learn testing!”, she replied.   Testing! Testing! Testing!  Not coloring, letters, numbers, or writing, just testing.

I believe that I lost at least a good 1 month worth of time with the students at Eisenhower Middle School due to testing conflicts.  I also wanted to keep an open mind about testing, because well I was always fond of tests in school and showing off how smart I thought I was (definitely not inline with the majority of the population).  Yet, I believe that when a student believes that the most important thing they have learned is “testing”, then something is truly wrong with the system.