“These tests are too crude to be used and should be abandoned”.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, if we continue down this road, the results will be lethal. I don’t have much faith in school, but I do have faith in people. And if we can customize healthcare, cars and facebook pages, then it is our duty to do the same for education, to upgrade it, change it, do away with school spirit ‘cause that’s useless. Unless we’re working to bring the spirit out of each and every student. That should be our task. No more common core, instead, let’s reach the core of every heart in every class.
Sure, math is important, but no more than art or dance. Let’s give every gift an equal share. I know this sounds like a dream. But countries like Finland are doing impressive things. They have shorter school days, teachers make a decent wage. Homework is non-existent. And they focus on collaboration instead of competition. But here’s the kicker, boys and girls. Their educational system out-performs every other country in the world. Other places like Singapore are succeeding rapidly, schools like Montessori, programs like Khan Academy… There’s no single solution. But let’s get moving.
Because while students may be 20% of our population, they are 100% of our future! So let’s attend to their dreams. And there’s no telling what we can achieve. This is a world in which I believe. A world where fish are no longer forced to climb trees. I rest my case.