My Rant on The SAT

Being someone who is typically opposed to standardized testing as a rule, I am facing an army of battles in teaching SAT prep here on island.  First, the students have not been prepared for the level of comprehension, linguistic skill, or vocabulary required to score reasonably well on the SAT.  I essentially have been given 22 students, and 2 months to teach 4 years of material.  And the basis for the high school language level that should have been taught at the elementary level is non-existent.  Even if it was humanly possible to bring the students up to par in the limited time provided, the ethical barriers still baffle me.  All of the criticisms for standardized intelligence testing exist in this community.  The SAT is designed for students from whom English is Native Tongue.  It is not designed for English Language Learners, nor is it designed for a pacific island culture.  Standardized testing does not allow for much differentiation in socio-economic class, cultural differences, or linguistic obstacles for English Language Learners.  All of these reasons, provide a resounding “Do Not Give Your Students The SAT” in my opinion.  Yet, I seem to be the only one who feels this way.  Having only worked in Special Education in the past, my philosophies revolve around structuring the environment for success, adapting lessons and testing to the needs of the students, and accommodating different types of intelligences and learning styles.  I truly believe that confidence and esteem building is as much a part of learning as is the lesson, and acquisition of knowledge.  The students here are already lacking in confidence in their English skills, and refuse to be able to get past the “it is not my language, therefore I am not good at it” boulder.  Giving a standardized test specifically designed for American students to Pacific Island students whose language level is at approximately a middle school level seems moronic to me.

End Rant.

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Cultural Lesson of the Day  There have been men on the side of our yard working in the brush today.   We didn’t ask what they were doing, but after they left, I walked over to see what they had done.  Turns out they have dug a giant hole – maybe 3 feet deep, and 5 feet long.  As far as I can tell, there are 3 possible things they could be planning to do with this hole.

1) cook a pig
2) bury their dead uncle
3) …. well … those are the approximate dimensions of my roommate

To be quite frank, I’d rather they bury Uncle Bernie and cover him in cement, than roast a giant sow and have the smell waft in my bedroom window for the next 24 hours.   And, on the topic of my roommate – she does have the flu!  

( photo : Sunset Rainbow, as seen from my porch )