As I rode up the chair lift with an 8-year-old ski student, I asked her what books she's been reading. She said Judy B Jones. I asked her what the books were about. "She does things." "Does she solve problems or get in trouble?" "Gets in trouble." "Does she figure out how to fix things up?" "Generally."
I asked her if she gets Judy B Jones books at the public library or the school library. "School library". "Which do you prefer, the library or the classroom?" "The library." "Why?" "There are so many books."
There is a whole kid world out there that many adults are unaware of. First, I never heard of Judy B Jones until I talked to this girl about her interests. Second, my own expectation of what names sound like led me to assume the wrong name. The heroine of the books is Junie B Jones!
I found this out by a search of the web. Check http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb/books/books.html
For another series that is exciting kids, see Captain Underpants.
Maybe we have schools organized all wrong. Instead of classrooms where children sit in rows or circles, maybe we should have libraries, labs, workshops, and other activity centers. They would be staffed with teachers who would make suggestions and answer questions. On certain days children would move from one activity center to another. On other days they would choose which they wanted to use and when.
Yes, there should be benchmark tests, but they should be written or oral presentations or they should be demonstrations of skills. The demonstrations could be musical or theatrical performances, an art work, or construction of an object.
In other words, schools should be places where kids imaginations and creativity are allowed to soar. Tests should be something that take advantage of kids' desire to show off.
There is no standardized kid; why should they take standardized tests?
