Let me tell you, I was sweating over standardized test results this year.  Especially since we didn't have a "standard" curriculum.

I guess I was nervous that some things might have to repeated. After all, we didn't use a "traditional" curriculum. It's been eclectic to say the least.  Towards testing time, I really began to wonder if I'd done the right thing by not choosing textbooks all the way. Had my enthusiasm for real books clouded my judgement on what the children--specifically my son who was being tested--really needed?  I had a sour stomach remembering the words of an advisor several years earlier, "Maybe you should register him a year behind so he'll do better on standardized tests in the coming years." 

And how about my own words about our curriculum?  "Well, if I teach them to read, and read well, they have the tools to learn for themselves." Would those words come back to haunt me? Have the goals for  our children been realistic? Practical? In their best interest? If he gets low scores will this discourage him from learning? Would a real-book based curriculum [in certain subjects, in our case]  work? 

Our son was a little nervous, too, but we both tried to be very positive. He said coming out of the tests, "Mom, I just tried my best, took my time, and answered every question."  I said, "That's all I ask.  " 

WELL BULLY FOR MY SON!!!!!!!!!!! HE BLEW AWAY ALL EXPECTATIONS!!!!!!!!!! He surprised himself and me. We asked a former public school teacher what some of the terms meant on his test scores. She raised her eyebrows while perusing them,  and answered, "It means post-high school. That means DUDE, YOU ROCK!" 

How about a barely 9 year old kid with test  scores that qualified as "POST HIGH SCHOOL" in several subjects?  How about a kid who pretty much tutored himself through a beginners chemistry book and a couple of science biographies this year [read: NO TEXTBOOK] who scored ABOVE AVERAGE on his science battery of tests?  Nancy, my unschooling friend, you should appreciate that!

How about that same kid who scored above average in most subjects, and average in everything else?  How about a "highly advanced" rating on his Bible battery of tests?  His Bible curriculum consisted of  King James Bible and an old set of story books from my parents. His lowest scoring subjects were math, spelling, and grammar---the subjects in which we used textbooks--and those were all good scores, too!

Okay, so standardized tests don't validate my parenting skills, my son's character, or his Christian walk. I'm still very proud of his hard work paying off. He's proven to himself that he can do amazing things, and I'm glad to finally realize that expensive textbooks aren't the only way to learn.

WAY TO GO SON! You worked hard at every assignment, did your best, and did very well.  WELL DONE!