Testing Poem

The testing season has arrived for our kids this year
A time where acronyms and data points fill up the space between our earsT
he tests, they say, are great resources for school and teachers to use
And that they can predict the future for children using formulas and cues

So as I lie here about to sleep cosy in my bed

I try to think of where I learned all of the things inside my head

I know I learned a lot from my father the man I respect the most

Who taught me to stand up for others and to never ever boast

I know I learned from my soccer boss his name was Mike Scobie

That I should always push myself so I can be the best that I can be

I also learned from my cousin Chris to laugh with all my heart

And from cousin Maria that caring for people would soon set me apart.

Mr. Ragland taught me how to overcome my fear and thinking that I wasn’t smart

He was there to dry a tear when I thought I failed before I start

I learned that a person is a person no matter shape or size

Thank goodness Dr. Seuss was there to open up my eyes

And for my college entrance essay that I was nervous to even write

I wrote about a Lego Robotics Challenge and wrote it in just one night

On the pitch, the grass, the field I learned some lessons well

That being a good teammate was more important than an W or L

One lesson that I remember best was when I got a 3 out of 10

I learned that day my mother's love would never break or bend

I learned there and then how to pick someone up when they are feeling down

And how to turn their day around to make a smile from a frown

Somehow I grew up with all that knowledge but I learned even more as I grew

I learned how to love and care for kids with each student that came on through

I learned from Noah and from Brooke that being a teacher was more than just a job

Because when you watch your students succeed your heart begins to throb

I learned from Cameron, that just like me, there are kids who need the nudge

And from Kevin that grades in school are not the final judge

I learned from Cheryl, and from John, and Meredith to boot

That having teammates who care for you is the strongest rooted root

But where was that assessment that test I had to take

That would measure all the things I learned there must be some mistake

Because when I sit and look at the bubbles before my eyes

It only asks a narrow view not what makes me specialized

Where are the questions, the performance tasks, the button or the space

That asks me to input all my knowledge I learned during my life's race

In high school during my senior year I had a 3.2 GPA

But that was where I was at not where I was going to stay

And in college I gave a speech on graduation day

Talking to all the students about our journey along the way

I told them not to listen to predictions that are just based on tests

Because in the real world failure happens by the best

The truest skill is how you respond when life doesn’t go your way

You fall back to all the lessons that you picked up each and every day

So as our students take these tests, the snapshots of their year

I hope they know the real lesson is how much they’ve grown between their ears

I hope they know that intelligence is not just measured only on some scale

It’s in every decision that you make as you journey on life's trail

And I hope they know, with all my heart, one last thing that's true

A standardized test will never describe, everything that makes you, you.