by I remember the first time I ever heard the question. It was during my first or second week of high school, and in one of my classes someone asked, “Is this going to be on the test?” I was sitting in my freshman science class and my first thought was, “Why would it matter?”
My education before high school was Montessori, where my days were a mix of lessons from my teacher, or guide, and the work I wanted to do. There were no tests, or even grades. Instead of learning a certain curriculum or set of standards, I learned about subjects that were of interest to me.
I was excited to reach high school. I was excited for homework, and most of all, I was excited for grades. At the time they seemed novel to me. But soon the glitter wore off. Grades weren’t fun or exciting. They were worrying.
When I started high school I resolved that I wouldn’t obsess over grades. I knew they were important for getting into college, but I figured that if I just did my best and tried to learn for the sake of learning, I wouldn’t have to worry. This worked for most of freshman year. The classes were easy, and at times, brutally boring. Taking nine classes wasn’t hard and most of my stress came from my participation in numerous extracurricular activities.
My school has an atmosphere of academic competitiveness. As one of the few IB schools in the city, we have a reputation for academic rigor. This has its advantages. No one is bullied for being smart, or a nerd. But that also creates a competitive culture of academic one-upmanship. I have heard conversations where my classmates attempt to outdo each other with how few hours of sleep they got the past night. Other talents, even more traditional pursuits such as sports, are undervalued. For most students, our world revolves around maintaining the perfect GPA and getting into the college of our dreams.
Slowly, I felt myself being sucked into this vortex of grades and college applications. I have one friend who, every time she decides to do something, first asks herself, “Would this look good on my college application?”
When teachers start teaching to the test and students start learning to the test, something critical is lost. One of the biggest compliments that I have received in the past two years is my ability to solve problems by thinking about solutions from different angles. When teachers teach to a test, we lose the opportunity to explore for ourselves. We teach them that there is a single correct answer and that there is only one way reach a solution. We disable the part of their minds that wonders and asks questions. I have to know how something works. I am not content with someone just telling me what to do. In Montessori, there were so many things that we could do with the information we learned.
Instead of focusing on the end goal, like a grade or a test, Montessori focuses on the work that kids do to reach the goal. I am able to solve problems in a new way because Montessori has taught me to think outside the box, and to always do my best. It didn’t matter what I did as long as my teachers and I felt that I was doing my best, with the understanding that the best looks different for everyone. I believe that kids want to learn, and that given the right tools, will far surpass all expectations. Instead of setting up markers for where all students should be and implementing standardized tests that don’t measure problem solving, we need to instill a culture where challenges are valued.
I recently heard of a study where the researchers had kids from China and from the US work on a math problem. What these kids didn’t know was that the problem was impossible to solve. On average the American students worked for under a minute on the problem, while the Chinese students worked for the entire hour and the experimenters had to stop them because the test was over. In the US, struggle is not something that is highly valued. Instead we value intelligence, and see struggle as an indicator that someone is stupid because school should come easily to a smart person. I have had times where I was terrified to read out loud because I was afraid people would laugh at me when I mispronounced words.
This year, one of my classes has been especially challenging for me. The teacher is known for breaking people’s perfect GPAs. But the paradox is this: he has often talked in class about how grades don’t matter and he wishes that he didn’t have to give grades. But he grades so hard that all of my focus has been put on grades in his class instead of becoming a better writer. Instead of focusing on how I can improve my writing, I have shifted to thinking about how I can change my writing so that it will be what he wants and my grade will improve. Instead of creating a culture around learning, he has created a culture around grades.
Now back to that question: “Will this be on the test?” When instructors teach us that the result is the most important product of an experience, they aren’t helping us. As people grow up, there isn’t going to be someone telling them the bare minimum they need to do to succeed. Learning doesn’t stop when children graduate from school, which is fortunate because the knowledge that we gain in high school only skims the surface of what we have the potential to learn. Teaching to the test gives students the skills that they need to succeed on a standardized test. But teaching a love of learning gives students the tools to pursue learning for the rest of their lives.
Many parents with children in Montessori worry that their kids are missing something by not getting tests. The opposite is true. By not worrying about tests or grades these children are gaining a love of learning, something that will stay with them long after their knowledge of calculus fades and they no longer remember the different parts of a cell.
Kate is a Childpeace Montessori and Metro Montessori Middle School Alumni who is currently attending High School in Portland, OR. This essay won the Gold Key scholastic writing award and is now being considered at the nationals.
Kate –
I couldn’t agree more with everything you had to say in your essay. I think the pressure and stress created by grades at the high school level severely hinders students’ desires to explore topics for themselves. The idea of teaching to a test creates a culture in which students see everything outside the test as useless information that is irrelevant to their academic goals. The U.S. should be fostering an educational environment where exploration, creativity, and thinking outside the box are rewarded rather than memorization and regurgitation. Montessori schools are clearly very adept at developing these learning and thinking habits in young people, so why aren’t secondary schools taking note? I recently read an article in the Economist about how everyone is going to University, but was it worth it ( http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21647285-more-and-more-money-being-spent-higher-education-too-little-known-about-whether-it ). The gist of the article is the need for a test-based system in order to gauge how well Universities are educating their students. With that information resources would flow towards the Universities providing students the best value for their buck instead of tuition costs serving as an indicator of the prestige of the University. I’m of the opinion that the importance of grades in high school should be diminished in comparison to grades in college. Most employers that visit college campuses weigh the prestige of the University more heavily than the academic record of the students applying for the job. This is because college acceptance has become so competitive that employers can be assured that they are hiring an excellent critical thinker based on the competitiveness of that college’s application process. I think this puts too much pressure on high schoolers’ to achieve high grades and spend all their time adding extracurriculars that “look good on college applications” instead of pursuing their individual passions like sports or theater. Maybe it’s time to move the idea of teaching to the test toward college when students are expected to know a more finite set of core knowledge in their major’s field of study. This would allow for high school to be more of a time for exploration and creative thinking instead of stress and worry.
As I read through this piece, I thought: this woman can write. Then I get to the brief bio at the bottom and learn that you’re in high school! Impressive.
In life, we write primarily to communicate, not to get good grades. Though I can’t offer you an “A” for your article, I can say you *effectively* communicated a very contentious position. Not an easy task at all.
Thanks for taking the time, and cheers to your future endeavors, whatever you may choose them to be.
Greetings and thank you for your essay. My son went through the Montessori program and we miss it every day. However, I am confused with regards to your GPA and IB reference as IB is a totally different program than traditional High School. As a graduate of the IB I can assure you that you can’t teach to the test, as the International Baccalaureate teaches students exactly that: that there is not one correct answer and that they need to be creative, critical thinkers and argue about their point of view with relevant theories and data. I don’t see how this would lead to a teach to the test mentality on behalf of the academics to your school unless they Americanized this very revolutionary program, that is in essence a continuation of the Montessori training (you can choose your High Level and Sub Level subjects as well as your course of voluntary work and your extended essay theme). Unless you are referring to your earlier high school years, I feel that you don’t pay tribute to this wonderful, rigorous program that has changed the lives of all who have participated to it. I wish all high schools incorporated the IB program and I am sure that if they did the unleashing of the human potential of its graduates would be tremendous.
This is impressive thinking whether one agrees with it or not. We’re hiring for summer season. Please contact me if you are looking for work, like soccer and enjoy young children.
Beautifully said! Thank you for sharing.
This is my concern. I want to have my child in the Montessori curriculum but I worry about when he transitions into public school. To me that seems like a culture shock in a way. Do children generally do well when placed in public school scenarios after Montessori?
lo podrian traducir al español este interesantisimo articulo please!!!!!!!!!!!
Hola Conuelo Diaz Figari, hay una aplicación de traductor en la barra lateral . Aquí hay un enlace con el contenido traducido en español . Pido disculpas por mi mala traducción española. Spanish
Kate,
Your experience is not yours alone. Both my sons attended Montessori elementary and ended up in IB in High School. The very first test, one of my older son’s classmates asked, “What did you get on the test?” His reply? “why do you care? doesn’t it only matter what you got?” He loved IB and it was the perfect preparation for college–both boys thought college was easy after a senior year in IB. Their teachers loved them because they could discuss material in detail and were genuinely interested in the discussion. They didn’t care what their grades were–though they were mostly A’s and a few B’s. But their test scores on both IB, AP and SATs were exceptional. Try not to stress. In the years to come, all the fine qualities you’ve gained through your Montessori experience will be worth ten times what the grades are worth (and yes, they each got into the best schools–one even got a full-ride scholarship based on PSAT scores. So Montessori students CAN take tests well and your well-rounded exposure is more important!! Hang in there!
Hi! Thank you for this beautiful article! I have a 5 year old in Montessori and can’t wait to see how much she will learn and benefit from it. Keep the great work! I wish you the best in your endeavors.
Hello Kate,
Thank you for your article. I wish my parents knew about Montessori education, I would have loved to have been in a Montessori school as a child. School wasn’t as easy for me either, especially high school. Now that I’m a mom of a 12 month old, I want to give her the best in education by having her attend a Montessori school. I also am a certified Early Childhood Montessori Teacher, and my dream is to open a Montessori school for all grades pre-k-12th. At the moment it is only a dream, but I know it will happen one day.
Thanks again and keep up the learning journey.
Incredible. Truly incredible. Thank you for this. And Mayra I to struggled all through public school. Test taking was never my strong suit and what ultimately brought my grades down tremendously. I have two children now, under the age of 5 and want so much more for them which is why I’m here looking and reading this. I sure hope your dream comes true! We need more Montessori schools and this way of thinking.
As a parent of a soon-to-be transitioning middle-schooler, I sincerely thank you for this!
Beautifully written piece.