Not on a Test

I came across this photo on a Montessori page and it could not be more true.  In our testing obsessed world, we need to remember that the things that make a person a good person cannot be measured in a test.  There is no question on a 1st grade exam that will capture how the child would handle someone whose feelings are hurt, or how they treat small animals, or what they see in their mind when they look up at the sky.

Tests are needed, of course, to make sure children are learning the basic things they need to know to get by in life. But no test will ever tell you how kind, loving, compassionate and creative you are and to me, that's the real measure of a person.