For the last four years, I have had the opportunity to work in an urban public school.  My two children were students in this school as well.  Each year, the pressure on myself as a teacher to increase my student’s ISTEP test scores, increased.  While I knew my students, as well as my two children, were more than a test score, I worked hard to make sure we covered as many state standards as possible.  This often came at the expense of giving the children what they really needed to follow the path of healthy social, spiritual, physical, and even cognitive development. I knew in my gut, that I wasn’t okay with this trade-off.   In spite of all of this, every spring when the test scores were published, I would hope that my students, as well as my two children had done well enough to pass.  I wanted to make sure everyone measured up.  I wanted to make sure I measured up.   

We live in a culture where so much of who we are as employees, parents, spouses, and neighbors is based on how we measure up.   It is extremely difficult not to compare ourselves to others around us, especially when it comes to our children and their academic performance.  At Oak Farm, our students don’t get grades for their work, and we don’t take a standardized test every spring.  It can be frustrating to not have a number to hold on to and share at the church potluck, the neighborhood picnic, or the family reunion.  But what do that number or those grades really mean? 

The current system of education in America is 93 years old.  It was originally founded to churn out young adults who would work well in an industrialized economy, adults who would come to work, do what they are told, and go home.  Not much has changed in the world of compulsory schooling in the last 93 years.  We’ve recently seen a fanatical push to implement a better system of standardization that measures the performance of all children, teachers, and schools. Are we okay with a system of education that continues to churn out predictable, testable, adults prepared to do 1925 labor?  Is the score, or the letter grade we want just telling us how compliant our children are?  Do the standardized tests actually measure the things that matter most?

I’d like to share a story from the Green Farm House.  We recently gave a group of 4th, a group of 5th, and a group of 6th graders, math story problems from last year’s spring ISTEP test.  The 4th grade group received a problem from the 4th grade test.  This means, the problem included content that the state of Indiana thinks they should learn sometime during their 4th grade year.  The same thing was done for the 5th, and 6th grades, each receiving a problem with content that the state of Indiana thinks they should learn during their current academic year.

We were able to make three incredible observations.  The first one was the students’ mathematic understanding.  It was immediately clear that the Montessori education they had experienced to this point, had allowed them to learn beyond what the state of Indiana expected them to learn thus far.  Each group easily accomplished the mathematical components of the problem an academic year ahead of state expectations.  

The next observation was even more incredible, and was a reminder of what Montessori education is about.  Each group worked together, flawlessly, to complete their given problems.  No one was left behind, everyone contributed.  Ideas about various strategies for solving the problems were communicated and listened to with respect.  One group tried two different strategies and then discussed which one was more efficient.  The 5th and 6th grade groups came and asked to try another problem.

It was the third observation that gave me the most goosebumps.  While solving a problem about perimeter, the 4th grade group actually discovered an error in the way the question was asked.  Four nine year olds discovered what adult test writers had failed to notice or did intentionally.  They then proceeded to edit the question to a way they thought would make more sense.  They solved the problem, finding the perimeter of the shape, then for fun, went on to figure out the area, even though the problem didn’t ask them to.  I was able to experience many cool things in my four years of public school teaching.  But I never experienced anything like this.    

These are the kinds of stories we need to remember in the moments we find ourselves wanting a test score or a letter grade.  These are the things that aren’t able to be measured by a test, but they are the things that matter the most.  There are stories like these happening at Oak Farm everyday.  Take the time to hear the stories, to share the stories, and to know we are all a part of creating a bright future.     

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