Mothers against test stress

[ChloeFlora]

I guess I've already made a dozen of threads about the disadvantages of our educational system and about the riots people make to change something.
But it seems unstoppable!
Now it already came to parents. They see that their kids don't want to go to school anymore! They feel tired of all those tests (which are known to be useless for education) but nobody cares about students. The authorities just need to create brainwashed soldiers with no capability to analyze!
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/us/states-listen-as-parents-give-rampant-testing-an-f.html?_r=0

 

[Jen]

That constant testing is crazy. It's detrimental. It's awful.
I home schooled my kids. Three of them did not take the ACT or SAT and they all went to a good university and graduated with a near 4.0 average. Most parents aren't able to avoid that stuff like I did and I am sorry for the kids subjected to it.

 

[PhilFish]

I guess I've already made a dozen of threads about the disadvantages of our educational system and about the riots people make to change something.
But it seems unstoppable!
Now it already came to parents. They see that their kids don't want to go to school anymore! They feel tired of all those tests (which are known to be useless for education) but nobody cares about students. The authorities just need to create brainwashed soldiers with no capability to analyze!
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/us/states-listen-as-parents-give-rampant-testing-an-f.html?_r=0

having read the article, it seems to me that parents that are stressed by their kids being stressed by testing (in one example..2nd grade testing...you know..3 +4, 5-3, and other rigors...) have bigger issues to cope with..like, say...feeding xanax to their kids....

get a grip, i says...

 

[ChloeFlora]

That constant testing is crazy. It's detrimental. It's awful.
I home schooled my kids. Three of them did not take the ACT or SAT and they all went to a good university and graduated with a near 4.0 average. Most parents aren't able to avoid that stuff like I did and I am sorry for the kids subjected to it.

Yeah, that's sad that a lot of families have no possibility to give their kids good education!!
Nonetheless, I have several doubts about home schooling, it's obvious that clever parents can do much better than those dumb educational programs

 

[Jen]

Yeah, that's sad that a lot of families have no possibility to give their kids good education!!
Nonetheless, I have several doubts about home schooling, it's obvious that clever parents can do much better than those dumb educational programs

I have lots of doubts about home schooling too. Many parents aren't equipped to do that.
I have a degree in education and had taught school for many years before I home schooled my kids, and I did it with set hours and challenging curriculum for school and wasn't all loosy goosy about their education. It took up all my time to see that they had a proper education and it paid off. It's just not possible for most parents to do something like that.

 

[PhilFish]

had to think for a while, but finally remembered the time tested cure for test stress..

study for the freaking test.

ching.

winner.

 

[connieb]

I guess I've already made a dozen of threads about the disadvantages of our educational system and about the riots people make to change something.
But it seems unstoppable!
Now it already came to parents. They see that their kids don't want to go to school anymore! They feel tired of all those tests (which are known to be useless for education) but nobody cares about students. The authorities just need to create brainwashed soldiers with no capability to analyze!
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/us/states-listen-as-parents-give-rampant-testing-an-f.html?_r=0

Whiel I am not a fan of continual standardized testing and using those tests for determinations of problem schools or problem teachers, I certainly think tests in the classroom on the material which count towards your grade are a very very good thing.

And, if you are stressing out on them, it is likely because you don't undersatnd the material or did not put enough effort into preparing for them. Now, if every student does crappy on a test - the teacher should take a look at why and possibly their own role in perhaps not teaching the material well, using bad test questions, etc.

But, what is next - already parents complain about too much homework. Will nothign ever be graded? For goodness sakes, it is GOOD to learn how to manage stress, how to manage studying, how to overcome adversity to some degree - those are things that will help you later in life. Continuing to lower the bar cause it stresses out some poor baby only weakens us as a nation.

connie

 

[Jen]

had to think for a while, but finally remembered the time tested cure for test stress..

study for the freaking test.

ching.

winner.

You really can't study for those long standardized tests and those are the tests that are being done now..... all the time....

 

[PhilFish]

You really can't study for those long standardized tests and those are the tests that are being done now..... all the time....

i cant speak to anything beyond 3rd grade at this point.. but for those, sure you can.

 

[connieb]

You really can't study for those long standardized tests and those are the tests that are being done now..... all the time....

But, since they count not at all for a grade, then what is there to stress over?

 

[Jen]

But, since they count not at all for a grade, then what is there to stress over?

I don't know, but some kids really do stress over it.

 

[connieb]

I don't know, but some kids really do stress over it.

Well, then in my opinion the thing is to combat the problem in the child that makes them stress over it - not eliminate the stressor. Life is a bitch and then you die, the sooner kids learn to put up with the bitch part - the better off they will be in the long run.

connie

 

[Hmmmm]

Well, then in my opinion the thing is to combat the problem in the child that makes them stress over it - not eliminate the stressor. Life is a bitch and then you die, the sooner kids learn to put up with the bitch part - the better off they will be in the long run.

connie

When I refused to rush and confront a teacher every time they (the teacher) was wrong, I told my kids that one lesson from school is that life isn't always fair.

 

[connieb]

When I refused to rush and confront a teacher every time they (the teacher) was wrong, I told my kids that one lesson from school is that life isn't always fair.

I do the same thing.

 

[ChloeFlora]

I have lots of doubts about home schooling too. Many parents aren't equipped to do that.
I have a degree in education and had taught school for many years before I home schooled my kids, and I did it with set hours and challenging curriculum for school and wasn't all loosy goosy about their education. It took up all my time to see that they had a proper education and it paid off. It's just not possible for most parents to do something like that.

That's it! Moreover there are quite a lot people who think that they can'y pay attention to their kids education, cause they have no time and need to live their own lives!
Of course that sounds stupid to give your life up, to give your kids proper education, but it seems much dumber to give up your kids!

 

[ChloeFlora]

Whiel I am not a fan of continual standardized testing and using those tests for determinations of problem schools or problem teachers, I certainly think tests in the classroom on the material which count towards your grade are a very very good thing.

And, if you are stressing out on them, it is likely because you don't undersatnd the material or did not put enough effort into preparing for them. Now, if every student does crappy on a test - the teacher should take a look at why and possibly their own role in perhaps not teaching the material well, using bad test questions, etc.

But, what is next - already parents complain about too much homework. Will nothign ever be graded? For goodness sakes, it is GOOD to learn how to manage stress, how to manage studying, how to overcome adversity to some degree - those are things that will help you later in life. Continuing to lower the bar cause it stresses out some poor baby only weakens us as a nation.

connie

I believe that there's a great need in a FEDERAL reformation of the whole educational system!
Of course teachers need to control students' success, but I'm pretty sure the current system is just dumbing kids!

 

[connieb]

I believe that there's a great need in a FEDERAL reformation of the whole educational system!
Of course teachers need to control students' success, but I'm pretty sure the current system is just dumbing kids!

I am not a fan of any federal involvment in public education and would like the Feds to remove themselves for the equation completely. The best indicator of student achievement is the academic achievement of their parents. Which basically means - smart people who care about their children's eduations make sure their kids put the proper effort into school. Nothing about federalizing the system is going to fix that. The only thing that will fix that is for people to change. If the people don't want to change its not my problem, and I don't want to be negatively impacted by their neglectful behavior. and, all federalizing the system will do - is to make sure money is diverted from good schools in good communities to shitty schools in poor communities. Which will only result in poorer results in what would have been good districts. Because when the kids don't go to school prepared to learn, when they do not have homelifes conducive to learning, and when they do not have parents dedicated to making sure the kids do what they need to do to be succesful in school - no amount of money in the school system will fix that.

 

[Fast Eddy]

The education system is broke. They need to end tenure and start firing bad teachers. Make teachers Unions illegal and stop the present agenda based teaching and go back to basics. The Federal Education Department needs to be cut and control returned to the state. Vouchers and Home schooling should be pushed to help get things going.
Teachers pay needs to be based on performance.

 

[Jen]

That's it! Moreover there are quite a lot people who think that they can'y pay attention to their kids education, cause they have no time and need to live their own lives!
Of course that sounds stupid to give your life up, to give your kids proper education, but it seems much dumber to give up your kids!

I didn't have my children until I felt I was ready to devote the necessary time to them. It always surprises me to find out that others don't do the same. But they don't. And I didn't home school them until I knew enough about curriculum to be able to choose well.

 

[gigi]

It's not the tests. It's the way some teachers treat the tests.
When my older son was in the fourth grade, he began to hate school. Everything was about the standardized tests.The fourth grade teachers talked about them EVERYDAY from the first day. These teachers had these kids believing that their whole lives depended on these tests coming up during the year.
The day after Christmas that year, my son had some friends over. And I'll never forget it because it was heartbreaking and infuriating. All nine year olds like him. Did they talk about where they went the day before? No. About what they got for Christmas? No. They talked about the testing coming up after the break until I heard enough and gave them the skinny on why the teachers were so pent up over the upcoming test scores. Still though, my son, my friends' kids, the behavior these kids exhibited at home during test week was horrendous. They were a wreck.

The tests themselves can be very helpful if you have a child with any kind of weakness in an academic area, or a particular strength that exceeds age level abilities. They're like a second opinion that carries a lot of weight. Even just to know your kid is on target for grade level.
Those test results are a tool for parents. Compare them to the report card grade. If you think your kid is struggling to read grade level material,but the report card says he's a B reading student
it's hard to argue that he needs remediation. After all, the professional educators are seeing good work from him, right?
But if you have standardized testing grades that show your child isn't even at basic or average in the area, consider your gun loaded for bear.