rawlee

I'm a new transplant to Central Florida. Before I moved here I lived in Laveen, Arizona and the differences between the education systems of these states is startling. I really miss the community of the Montessori school my daughter went to in Arizona, though I am finding that the standards and expectations of the schools here in Florida are much higher and it leaves me quite torn.

Sometimes I wish we could go back to Arizona - mostly because I miss my friends, my daughters friends and her school. I feel like my daughter is being suffocated with test after standardized test that will ultimates determine how she is labeled throughout the rest of her career as a student. And what bugs me more about these tests is that she was never properly prepped on how to "fill in the bubbles" nor was I informed prior to the test that she would be taking these tests. I personally think they are quite unreliable, especially when taken in the 1st grade.

And now my little girl (who I think reads quite well for her age) has been tossed into some "No Child Left Behind" program where she will be tutored once a week in reading. Apparently she is below grade level? What? The testing scores they gave me say she's between middle of 1st grade and 2nd grade.

Will she really be a smarter, better person because she is going to a micro-managed Bush Administration A+ school? I doubt it.

Really - What do I want for my daughter? Self-Esteem and a Love for Learning or High Standardized Test Scores....hmmm....


Oh, if only I had the temperament and patience to home school my kids....