I hate standardized testing.  I always have.  We tell our children not to compare themselves to other people, yet in a school system, that's all we do. Some argue that standardized testing is a "fair measurement of a students achievements, and is a way to hold teachers and schools accountable."  Okay, but what about those students who don't learn like other kids?  You can't tell me every single kid in the US learns the exact same way.  And does every single teacher teach the exact same way?  Are we raising a bunch of working bees that will always follow the rest of the bees?  Or are we undermining our ability to raise innovators and critical thinkers by this "drill like" education system?

In my house, standardized testing has created three extremely stressed out children.  I have two that are always "above average", but I have one who has struggled to even reach "average".  Does this mean this child isn't trying, or is lazy, and will never be a promising member of society? HELL NO!  But it has discouraged said child enough that I don't believe they even care anymore. The comparing has caused the other two to believe that any grade below a 100%, is unacceptable and it, more often than not, brings them to tears.  And I can assure you that this is NOT of my doing!  I have always been a "cup half full" kind of girl.  I have never seen the things that my children cannot do, only the things they CAN.

So when we went in for Grant's first IEP meeting, though it wasn't a horrible experience, it did rub me the wrong way.  I sat there for an hour listening to all the things that my almost 3 year old, CANNOT do, compared to other children his age.  And yes, that is Grant compared to children that do not have Down Syndrome. And when they got to explaining how they came to these conclusions, I realized that the things they tested him on, and the examples that they were comparing him too, most of the time, are things he has not yet been introduced to.  He didn't recognize many of the food items that most kids can..... Well, that's because HE CAN'T EAT THEM!! Of course he isn't going to know what they are. The poor kid is still on a diet of soft and dissoluble foods due to his esophagus issues!  Another example, he didn't put the baby doll in the crib when he was asked where the baby sleeps.  If shown a picture of a king size adult bed, he would have put the baby there. He has never slept in a crib in his life. None of my kids have. 

The meeting kind of reminded me of a bad campaign ad. Instead of concentrating on the things I can do, I'm going to bash on someone else for the things they didn't do....  

It is so frustrating to me. We need to cut our kids a little slack. I truly believe that a lot of the kids that rebel and act out, is a result of being compared to other kids.  They are negatively labeled, and discouraged, and then they just give up.  I know this because at one point, I was that kid.  And I'll tell you what, I am not raising worker bee's! I am raising kids who are kind and compassionate. Kids who know how to think outside the box.  Kids who will stop and help someone up, instead of running over them to win. Kids who will eventually realize that their mama is a brilliant woman who didn't actually ruin their lives, but instead, taught them how to survive it in a healthy and positive way. God willing..

Love, Kindness, Laughter, and Faith
Meaghan