To the Editor:
I am a first year high school social studies teacher. I teach at Vanguard Tech Center in Fremont, Ohio. I
am 25 years of age and just recently graduated from (BGSU, Otsego 2008). I am truly disheartened at
where education in our great country is going. The reason fueling my sadness and disappointment is the
increase in standardized testing. The amount of standardized testing students are taking each year and
the way our standardized tests are worded is crippling the education system. I was drawn to education
due to the amazing teachers and coaches I had in high school. These teachers were not people who blasted
me with detailed information everyday. Rather, they covered information that was substantial and
important and then created hands-on learning activities and projects that made learning come to life for
me and allowed me to apply my education to my everyday life. I was not forced to memorize facts and
numbers and formulas every single day. Instead, I would learn a piece of content and then explore it
through consistent differentiated instruction. That method of teaching allowed me to pass all of my
tests with flying colors because I was not being forced to absorb a ridiculous amount of information
each day. I was given the freedom to learn in the way that best fit me. Unfortunately with race to the
top I am now being forced to teach the very methods I hated learning in high school. Instead of doing
project-based learning and engaging activities in class each day that address important general
concepts, I am now being forced to give notes everyday. It’s heartbreaking to me because I am so
passionate about my profession. I was truly born to teach because I believe that I can make every
student excited about learning and make every student successful. However, with this consistent
bombardment of standardized testing I am being forced to give notes and lecture everyday so that
students can memorize miniscule detailed facts, take the state tests, and then forget the information
after they are done taking these tests. There is no reason that the new standardized tests would be
worded so difficultly. Each of these tests could be worded in much simpler terms to allow students on
IEP to have a chance at passing the test.
Seth Childers
Toledo