Seattle Teacher Says Tests Kill Learning

Personally I agree with him. to be honest, I'm not learn much at school, I learned much more when I set goals and pursued it.

To me, a good teacher is someone who gives opportunities as well as challenges as teaching tools. We all need to know our strengths and be made aware of our weak spots in order to improve.

The Summer Olympics is a good example of constant testing to improve the performance of individuals who compete for the title and privilege of being the BEST. The journey to becoming the winner is not easy, nor should it be.

If the students in Seattle did their homework and felt fully prepared for what was on the test, they would feel really good when the teacher handed them back a grade marked A+ I know I did. In our house we were rewarded for good grades. Not only did I have the satisfaction of doing a test well done, but I was able to have my ice cream cone and enjoy it too! (I threw away the tests that weren't so great.)

Life is filled with tests. Building as many skills as possible to meet the challenges is necessary. The sooner the student learns how to master fear the better. Tests are a good way to measure what you feel about a specific subject. If you keep flunking math... maybe you should consider a career in Congress. They still haven't learned how to balance a budget.

Don't let a school test determine your value. Just do the best you can and learn from your mistakes before you get the ultimate test that can really hurt you or end your life.

I wouldn't fire that teacher. I would sit down and talk about the benefits of preparing young minds to solve complex problems and gain confidence especially under duress. Life is not always kind. Being prepared for its many tests is smart.

I have never been a big fan of standardized tests. The job of teachers is to give our children the knowledge that they need to succeed in the world. But because tests are used to rate the schools, and teacher performance- even more than they are to assess the child's level- teachers teach the tests. For some teachers, the goal is to have their students the highest possible scores on these tests and actual learning becomes secondary. What is worse- teachers tell children that the scores go on their 'permanent record card' and that will make a difference when it comes to getting a job or gettting into college. When was the last time an employer asked to see a child's permanent record card? They may ask to see transcripts- but mostly you care about the degree and not about the grades or the scores. These lies create anxiety in our children. I think that we need some other tool to assess our schools and our teachers- and the tests when given should be simply used to help assess a child's progress for future class placement purposes. I aoplaud this teacher and think that we should stand behind him. He should not be fired unless he is failiing to TEACH his students. Testing should be optional.

Dear Billionaire Trump,

Anyhow, test is the academic rule that all the students have to take in order to make them get used to the exams that they will take in the future. Even without tests, the teachers can also give some homeworks for them to do at home in order to make sure at least their students have red all the lessons that their teachers have taught them.

But, just make sure that their teachers won't force them to chew more than what they can chew. Just make sure their students not ganna be bold at their young ages.

In our country, the students should respect their teachers and lecturers as their parents. A Khmer idiom said "Different parents while at home, one parent while in the forest ". So, the teachers should love them as their own children by showing their loving kindness toward them. Make sure they love their own teachers and willing to do their jobs with satisfaction.

Please accept my highest respect.

God bless you and prosper your business.

Sincerely yours,



Dany

I totally agree with the heading "Tests Kill Learning" with first hand experience. Whether its elementary to college; tests limit your scope on any subject to only what is being covered on the exam. When the exam is over guess what? all that "knowledge" in the subject matter almost instantly dissolves. When the approach is to teach you and stimulate your mind on a particular subject, far from just preparing for the exam that's coming, the information is actually retained. Many can choose there career paths because they fell in love with the subject and become very successful. But if your in a science class or finance class and the main objective is just to pass the tests, as opposed to learning the actual subject matter and how it affects our everyday lives, then you lose the essence of learning. You might as well just take some Kaplan classes and achieve these artificial high grades. Of course we need some measure to see how students are doing but if the focus is just to do well on these measurement tools then we all fail.

For tests of this level, he does not have the right to decide to give it or not, not within his scope.
Simple as that.

In school, you learn how to deal with pressure, too.
Test is a competition, and you just can't get away of competition in the real world.
If you put your child in a greenhouse, they will not be able to survive in the jungle.
Of course, anything being excessive will hurt but is US having too much tests?
Personally, No.

Donald,

The teacher in this case has opinion that Street Smart is better than Book Smart.
Books can only get you so far, but knowing how to use the knowledge in real life can get you anywhere you want to go. Donald, you did show us in "The Apprentice" about book smart vs street smart. If students do not understand what they are reading or learning, a good chance that they will not be able to apply it in real life situations which then will be a complete waste of time and effort learning from the books. We have to be practical all the time. If we are not practical, all effort would be meaningless !!

Prince Dudley
Systems Engineer
http://birdseyesview.blogspot.com

Street Smart and Book Smart are not mutually exclusive.

The teacher should be fired and permanantly banned from teaching. Look what we are raising in this country people!! A bunch of whiney, spineless, wimps. If you want to get ahead in life you need to learn to deal with stressful situations. If we let school become "marshmellows and cupcakes" then that is exactly what we will get. The people that get ahead in a capitalist society have learned to deal with what life throws at them. All's I can say to kids that can't handle the stress of test is "Welcome to McDonald's"

If tests kill learning why isn't everyone under the age of 80 dead?

Street Smarts... There are gangs with guns that solve complex problems by shooting people instead of debating solutions to complex problems.

Book Smarts... I never met a person yet who (if they could read) didn't learn something new. Books are organized communication and written to enhance the knowledge, pleasure, imagination, or skills of the reader.

Let me repeat myself... a good teacher is someone who gives opportunities as well as challenges to students. After a test is taken, there is an opportunity to discuss the material, be made aware of any mistakes, and look for ways to improve.

Early testing molds a persons' likes and dislikes. If you're tested in biology and puke when you see a frog dissected... this is a good time to cross off "operating on helpless creatures" as your future career.

I really respect what the teacher did. Honestly, i agree with what he feels. And going against the authorities and standing by what he believes in? It really makes me feel inspired. But it also reminds me of how Mr Trump does things. In my impression, Mr Trump is the sort of person who goes against the grain, is a trailblazer and fights to the end and never gives up. In other words, he's a rebel, in a good way. To what he believes in, he would stand up for it and make it work. And this teacher is showing the exact same 'Trump spirit' that inspires me. Kudos to him!

Keep up the Trump fighting spirit everyone!

Alexchious

http://thebillionairejournal.wordpress.com

People may think what they would like about standardized tests, however, the fact is, most people do not have a clue as to what those tests actually measure because they do not understand the extenuating circumstances.

My school district is an area of high growth and transiency. The transient rate this year ran somewhere between 60-70% on average. That means 60-70% of the students in a teacher's classroom who started the year were not the same students in that classroom at the end of the year. Please tell me how that factors into the equation. It isn't factored at all, nor are many other variables.

The teachers and students in our small district pour every ounce of perserverance and effort that they have into that week of standardized testing. If that were the measure of success, their scores would be off the chart. The fact that they aren't, is not a measure of failure, but of factors many times beyond our control.

The public education system is in need of extreme overhaul. The challenges which are not being dealt with will continue to erode the system until it is completely broken. As it is, it hangs by a thread, a very slim thread. I do not judge or admonish the acts of this teacher because I do not know the extenuating circumstances. However, I am quite sure he knows those students better than anyone posting comments.

OK Everyone,

I totally relate to the fear the teacher sees in the children because I too have been there and still feel these anxious, stomach churning tremors as an adult. However it is his job to teach and so he's being paid to give the test. Sometimes in life we have to do things we dont like. If it really upsets him to the point where he can't give the test anymore then he should consider a change of career or starting his own school of some sort.

I do wish I had a teacher like that but I might not have been able to survive in the work force today because even on the job we have tests to go through some written and some disguised but it all makes us stronger.

All the best

I have a wonderful 5th grade teacher in Westminster C.A. that recently lost her job because she didn't agree with the no child left behind law that was passed recently. Actually, she quited because she wasn't able to teach her student what she felt was necessary to survive in this ever changing world. Her teaching style has shape me to become the man I am today. I am not the best I can be, but I am working towards it as we speak. We need more teacher to stand up to what they believe and not let these so call politician dictate education. A test does not define a person. Action defines a person.

We are also facing a new problem amongst the community right now with education. This problem is arising from socially withdrawn individual, also known as emo kids. Emo kids are basically socially withdrawn student that come from divorce family. There's no supervision or communication with these kids because the single parent is constantly working to put food on the table.

In my humble opinion, the tests are boring and practically pointless. As Einstein said "Imagination is more important than knowledge." I believe this is for many reasons, but one of which is; Knowledge is memory, intelligence is using that knowledge creatively.

Tests are usually repetitive tasks calling upon memory, not intelligence. Does memorizing the formula to find the area of an irregular object make me smart? Heck no, but figuring out what the formula is does. I've heard of an autistic person who can draw something by looking at it to near perfection, but that doesn't make him an artist by consensus, because his art is a reproduction of the mundane, rather than a visual record of the quest for perfection. There's a fine line between artistry and mechanical actions, so fine in fact, that to determine where something sits on it, it must be looked at abstractly.

Resourcefulness can measure intelligence, so projects with room to explore can offer a more detailed view of a subject intelligence. The project itself can be measured abstractly by a group of people, because no one person is known to see every angle and a group can generally get a better idea.

Another way to handle the problem is not let the tests in question affect grades. If ones stress level and ability to focus can be such factors on their grades due to tests, then the focusing and stress factors should be taught so students can gain self control for tests, they should be "unseen" factors deciding their fate with the acceptance of those who require the tests. Basically, they're not only measuring their knowledge, but also their test taking abilities, each and every time, without ever telling them their test taking abilities are being measured. It seems a little unfair.

Above all though, something which I think is very often implied and suggested, though not always taught in American schools, is that while the "wisdom of crowds" is to be esteemed highly, it's not always right. So no matter what happens, believe that if you keep trying you can succeed where no other has and if that's the goal you're reaching for, people will tell you you're wrong the whole way because it's never been done.

I'm done with this now and I may be rambling because I'm getting a little tired. Hopefully it's coherent! Haha!

David Rader II
http://chexed.com/

I admire him for standing up for what he believes in, and I think that he knew what the consequences were going to be, as everybody knows Child Education is one of the main factors in government issues and debates. So when he dabling in the routine of education rules, it's quite obvious there was going to be consequences for him.

But the question is: because of his actions, is he going to be able to fight and cope with whats ahead?
Because this will be the real test for him.

People have won the right of something that they feel very strongly about, and with others, feeling strongly to rid it, which is all down to people's opinions at the end of the day, but people with opinions can make a hell of a difference.

All I can say is I hope a decision is made that will benefit the people who have actually made this an issue. But with so many people with a hand-up in authority over the future of countries, it's going to take a while.

It's reasons like this I want to build Interactive Dreams into a large empire, with unlimited resources rebuilding the current educational system and creating a new standard of education and success would be something that would make me feel great.

I've learned alot from your friend Kiyosaki through his programs and books and have come along way, but the more I listen to him the more he reminds me of myself and his 'Poor Dad' sounds just like mine on many levels. Of course I don't have a 'Rich Dad' to fallow per-say like he did but that won't stop me from doing even more to contribute to the education and success of individuals inside or outside of school.

I agree with you. He took a stand, but he didn't do his job. Tests are just one measure of what is learned. I think parents have a responsibility to help their children learn to deal with being tested. I believe the teacher can also help to address the fears. But, if our children are being raised to be so fragile, that they can't survive a test, how are they going to survive the tests life throws at them? After all, we get tested all the time. For example, aren't you testing us right now?