Questions and Observations as They Relate to Yardsticks

Let me begin with my questions, which can all be bundled into one: Why do the powers that be in terms of our federally mandated education policies continue to miss the boat? It is that those "in charge" have no real world experience in education, and if so, why are they implementing policy without anything more than ill-informed political will? Why is that people continue to hold onto the myth that forcing children into mini-adult roles will make them better prepared for the adult world? I for one would not wish the so-called adult world on any child today. I am saddened that easy solutions that don't work are valued over theories and practices based on science and understandings that come from working with children in an environment where an adult will listen and observe to truly gain some insight into how the child brain works and interacts with its (it's kinda weird to refer to a kid's brain as an "it", but bear with me) environment. Do adults/parents/administrators not remember their own childhood and the many frustrations that we all felt in a school setting? Simply passing laws and mandates are lip-service, and that is how I feel about NCLB. True, I admit, I have a tremendous bias against the Bush Admin, so there it is, but when most effective teachers question the practices of constantly testing our kids for these three R's, why won't the powers that be listen?

From my own experience, I have been conditioned to test well. Wood refers to that "problem" (what? How is being a good test taker a problem?) in that once a child is forced into testing, they can associate their self-esteem with how they perform. I am guilty of this misconception. When I first found out that most of the classes in this program were not graded, I was a little worried. Some of my self-esteem has in the past come from my performance in school, especially on tests. Although, I didn't become that way until my high school and college years. My earliest years in school were in a gifted and talented program in which I don't ever remember being graded. So, if you treat your "gifted and talented" students in the way that shows them that testing is pointless, why would one turn around and then test the "normals"? I personally have found testing to be fruitless in my own education, despite good grades and high test scores. Filling in the blank on a test has never, never proved that I truly know a concept and understand it as it relates to me, my community, my future, or my society.

Okay, now for something more positive...

A while ago, a friend of mine with a 7 year-old son was in a bind and asked me if I could sit with Oliver for an evening. Sure, I said, I'm going into education, I've been working with kids, I'll be fine. Let's just say that my vision of a quiet evening with a 7 year old was really, really off. Instead, Oliver and I fought within about 30 minutes of my arrival. He was hitting me with these foam nunchuks, and even though they were foam, he was trying out my patience by hitting harder and harder. At first, I was a little uncomfortable about "disciplining" Oli -- which I will freely admit is my biggest weakness in dealing with kids. So instead, I simply told him that what he was doing was unacceptable (I think I said "not cool" -- unacceptable makes me sound so grown up, which I am not). And then I took the nunchuks and hid them. Oli threw a fit, and I mean a fit. I thought, great, Kelly (Oli's mom) is never going to ask me for any kind of childcare again. He told me that I hated him and all kinds of other stuff. He ran into his room and slammed the door. I sat down on the couch and turned on a video game. I didn't even talk to Oli; I just let him sulk and pout. And wouldn't you know it, about 15 minutes later, he came out of his room, sat down next to me, and cuddled up against me. I see in Yardsticks, that Oli's behaviour is pretty typical of a 7 year old. Whew. I thought maybe it was just me or the fact that Oli comes from a single parent home and craves attention. By the way, when Mom got home, Oli and I were "best friends", according to Oli, so I must have done something right, despite my inexperience.

I was actually a little worried about Oli after that night. I thought about how maybe his single parent home was faulty or he was developing some troublesome "quirks." And then lo and behold, Chip Wood tells me that Oli's behaviour was quite typical of a child that age. I guess I can stop worrying.

Also, Oli and I had a lot of fun making thumb puppets out of old gloves. And that, too, is mentioned in Yardsticks. A 7 year old's fine motor skills are becoming more precise and "microscopic" drawing and writing is normal. I am thinking about buying a copy of Yardsticks for Kelly, well, if the bookstore ever gets a copy of it.