After my one hour session with Camera Guy yesterday, I now know how to use my camera. For those of you who don't know about Camera Guy, I responded to an ad in my local paper because my new camera didn't come with a manual. When I asked for one, I was told that the manual was online. It was, and boy was it complicated. It was a headache looking for a place to happen. I was able to point and click, and that was about it. Then, along came Camera Guy.
Camera Guy was patient, kind, and always gave me the opportunity to do things myself after showing me something new. It made me think about what is really important when learning. I didn't have to worry about taking a test later. I didn't have to learn new information in a certain way so that I could respond correctly to a state test. It was just about learning.
A lot of our children come to school excited and eager to learn, just like I did with Camera Guy. Then they are bombarded with testing and practice for testing. Just about everything they do is preparing them for passing state tests. Sure, some activities are camouflaged to look a little bit different. The kids might be fooled for a little while. It doesn't take long for them to breathe those deep sighs as they realize that each and every lesson is designed to help them pass tests.
I know that there are a lot of folks out there that just want to put more and more pressure on teachers and students. Personally, I think that I received a pretty good education. We had exams at the end of every semester, and that was about it. What I did have was supportive parents. It makes me wonder if all children are having to suffer in school because some parents are unwilling or unable to be there for their kids. All of this testing makes me think about the teacher that used to punish an entire class just because of the actions of a few. Do we really need to make every child's day about testing?