Many Thanks...

Many, Many thanks to my professor, Dr. Myers and my colleagues. I truly believe learning takes cooperation and collaboration! I appreciate our discussions and post the most. It's nice to know that through this journey, I am not alone.

"Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns." - Author Unknown

Educational Quote

"Education is like a baseball game, it needs all its players: parent, teacher, community, and student."

Author Unknown

Testing for intelligence?

This is an issue that is overlooked and that definitely deserves attention. This topic is all too familiar for me. I have always had a problem with TESTING. I was always a EXEMPLARY student who immersed myself in school and as a result obtained great grades. Nevertheless, I was not a good test taker. Children, like myself, should not be required to prove themselves over and over again. Instead, you should focus on the "whole" child and what he or she contributes to their education. In addition, working in a public school system in Texas, children, 3rd-12th grade are required to take and pass the STAAR (The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) test. Speaking as a "true advocate for children", tests such as these have a #1 goal: $$$$$$. This is not a test for or about the students, this is a test that allows many bureaucrats and law makers, politicians, board members to make a profit off of children and educators.

The article, The case against standardized testing: raising the scores, ruining the schools, by Alfie Kohn is a article that genuinely expresses concern for children and the "terror" of standardized testing. The article speaks of preparing children for 'reality' and how testing is not a determiner of being a responsible, productive citizen of the world. Also, many of these tests rely heavily on quantitative data instead of qualitative data. There's much emphasis on the "right" answer, leaving no room for variations, creativity,... In essence, "The more we learn about standardized testing, particularly in its high-stakes incarnation, the more likely we are to be appalled. And the more we are appalled, the more inclined we will be to do what is necessary to protect our children from this monster in the schools"( The case against standardized testing: raising the scores, ruining the schools, 2000).  

I also had the chance to read up on some intelligence testing performed in the United Kingdom. Many researchers believe in testing for intelligence but insist that cognitive testing must take first primarily in order for there to be an accurate evaluation. Natives of the United Kingdom are persistently pressing the issue of complete cognitive development and information processing. Many historic researchers, continue to battle this matter of "testing for intelligence".

Author, Alfie Kohn, of the article, Standardized Testing and its Victims provided many facts regarding standardized testing and how it affects our children, educators and society as a whole. While reading through these 8 facts, one of them hit very close to home for me. Fact #8, "Many educators are leaving the field because of what is being done to schools in the name of "accountability" and "tougher standards" (Standardized Testing and its Victims, 2000). Education and its impact of children and family has truly lost its way. One of the major blows I feel is responsible for this systematic destruction is: standardized testing.

Kohn, A. (2000). The case against standardized testing: raising the scores, ruining the schools. Retrieved from: http://sites.google.com/a/teacherrenewal.org/www/CaseAgainstTesting.pdf


Kohn, A. (2000, September 27). Standardized Testing and its Victims. Education Week. Retrieved from: http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/edweek/staiv.htm

Sternberg, R.J.(Ed.). (2004). International Handbook of Intelligence. Retrieved from:  http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam041/2003048462.pdf

Poverty and Education



The one stressor that continually shows itself strong in our country and many others is the 'war on poverty'. As stated many times before being a public school, kindergarten teacher, I know how much poverty affects children and families. I have been teaching ESL (English as a second language) for 4 years now, and have come to find out that poverty speaks the same language. Many of my students have been brought over by American missionaries from countries such as: Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Cambodia, Iraq, Iran, etc...Children from these countries have feelings of shame, guilt and overall fear. One boy in particular that is from Sudan, has a difficult time fitting in to the "American Culture". I have discovered that he is often hungry and lacks the necessary uniform requirements of the district. I know that before this child can learn, he must receive proper nutrition and maintain a healthy self-image. His days at school should not be filled with ridicule and distraction. It is my job as an educator to ensure that they feel valued and receive a fair and credible education.

While researching poverty and other countries, I stumbled upon an article that discusses how children brought up in poverty are more prone to engage in acts of Terrorism. Researchers conclude the solution to this growing problem is to up federal funding given to countries' stricken by poverty. This increase in funding will give law enforcement more money to fight crime and increase wages. The article states, "In our view, alleviating poverty is reason enough to pressure economically advanced is countries to provide more aid than they are currently giving" (Education, Poverty and Terrorism: Is There a Casual Connection, 2002). Many countries affected by this poverty and terrorism are countries such as Hezbollah, Lebanon and many countries embedded in the Middle East.

I attributed this problem that foreign countries are experiencing to that of the correlation between violence and poverty in the U.S. Education is the border that divides success and failure. In the article, Poverty and Education researchers attribute the poverty in the U.S. to that of the "Urban Flight". Many urban/metropolitan schools are suffering because of the flight of people along with the flight of funds.

This problem of poverty is a growing phenomena and takes much problem solving to dissolve. The children are the people that suffer the most. Authors of the article, Poverty and Education state that, "Without a significant shift in how schools are funded, and changes are made in the accountability of schools, urban schools will constantly face additional cuts in resources, forcing cuts in programs in order to balance an already delicate budget" (Poverty and Education, 2007).


Maleckova, J., & Krueger, A.B. (2002). Education, Poverty and Terrorism: Is there a Casual Connection? Journal of Economic Perspectives, 17, (4), 119-144. Retrieved from: http://www.krueger.princeton.edu/terrorism2.pdf

Hightower, L. (2007). Poverty and Education. Race and Poverty in Education, 2(10). Retrieved from: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/colleagues/vol2/iss2/10