As a college professor, I love this! I teach at a flagship public that is hard to get into. Kids in my classes have fabulous test scores and grades but too many of them don’t know how to think critically or write- a product of what they’ve learned (or didn’t) in k-12.
Thank you, Lindsey! That means a lot coming from someone on the front lines. It’s wild how many students hit college having mastered test-taking but not critical thinking or writing. The system is definitely more focused on sorting than preparing. Appreciate your perspective!
This is one of the clearest, most grounded takes on education I’ve read in a long time. Your call to listen, really listen, to students, and to rebuild trust rather than just systems, strikes deep. So much of modern schooling feels like it’s optimized for control rather than curiosity.
We don’t fix education by tightening the screws; we fix it by tending to the humans inside it. Your words remember that. And I’m grateful for them.
You nailed exactly what I was hoping people would hear, the heart of the thing isn’t control, it’s care. It will be a hard path forward, but hopefully enough people care that it will be change that we make happen. Thanks my friend!
THIS. I speak from 15 years of teaching the people who fell on the sidewalk, who got caught in the cracks, who learned to christmas tree scantron sheets. They are good people who were told they were stupid. But they could learn if someine rook the time to be real, to tell the truth, to show them I cared about them.
Thank you for saying it so clearly, Charlotte. The ones who fell through the cracks aren’t broken; they’ve just been written off by a system that wasn’t built for them. It’s amazing what happens when someone takes the time to see them, believe in them, and show up for them.
I enjoyed this and really feel your passion throughout. What is your take on how AI / LLM content generation impacts these and other proposals? In a world where anyone can “appear” to be an expert at anything, how do we actually prove competency?
I’m optimistic about AI’s potential to democratize access to knowledge, but you’re right, it also makes ‘looking competent’ dangerously easy. That’s why I believe competency-based education matters more than ever. We need systems that measure actual skill and understanding, not polished answers. AI might fake expertise, but it can’t fake lived experience or genuine mastery. That’s why the system needs to change. I don’t see how we can keep going the way we are with the majority of schools, not matter the level. Thanks for engaging, John!
This was such a clear take on education and standardised testing. I remember having a similar discussion in class once about what standardised tests like the SATS , ACTs etc actually measure, aptitude or wealth? I agree that these tests may have been developed with the right intentions but the intention is not there anymore and it’s so easy for these tests to also be a marker of status and wealth.
Exactly, Kashaf. I think a lot of those tests started with decent intentions, but intentions don’t matter much when the system ends up rewarding wealth over ability. If we’re serious about equity, we have to stop pretending standardized tests are neutral. Really appreciate you adding your voice to this.
Curious to hear what he has to say. I have never worked in public education, but I did teach for a living, it was aircraft systems and flying. That is pretty much competency based.
As a college professor, I love this! I teach at a flagship public that is hard to get into. Kids in my classes have fabulous test scores and grades but too many of them don’t know how to think critically or write- a product of what they’ve learned (or didn’t) in k-12.
Thank you, Lindsey! That means a lot coming from someone on the front lines. It’s wild how many students hit college having mastered test-taking but not critical thinking or writing. The system is definitely more focused on sorting than preparing. Appreciate your perspective!
This is one of the clearest, most grounded takes on education I’ve read in a long time. Your call to listen, really listen, to students, and to rebuild trust rather than just systems, strikes deep. So much of modern schooling feels like it’s optimized for control rather than curiosity.
We don’t fix education by tightening the screws; we fix it by tending to the humans inside it. Your words remember that. And I’m grateful for them.
Stay entangled, my friend.
—Robes
You nailed exactly what I was hoping people would hear, the heart of the thing isn’t control, it’s care. It will be a hard path forward, but hopefully enough people care that it will be change that we make happen. Thanks my friend!
Wow, I love this:
“We don’t fix education by tightening the screws; we fix it by tending to the humans inside it.”
THIS. I speak from 15 years of teaching the people who fell on the sidewalk, who got caught in the cracks, who learned to christmas tree scantron sheets. They are good people who were told they were stupid. But they could learn if someine rook the time to be real, to tell the truth, to show them I cared about them.
Thank you for saying it so clearly, Charlotte. The ones who fell through the cracks aren’t broken; they’ve just been written off by a system that wasn’t built for them. It’s amazing what happens when someone takes the time to see them, believe in them, and show up for them.
I enjoyed this and really feel your passion throughout. What is your take on how AI / LLM content generation impacts these and other proposals? In a world where anyone can “appear” to be an expert at anything, how do we actually prove competency?
Thanks again for posting!
John
I’m optimistic about AI’s potential to democratize access to knowledge, but you’re right, it also makes ‘looking competent’ dangerously easy. That’s why I believe competency-based education matters more than ever. We need systems that measure actual skill and understanding, not polished answers. AI might fake expertise, but it can’t fake lived experience or genuine mastery. That’s why the system needs to change. I don’t see how we can keep going the way we are with the majority of schools, not matter the level. Thanks for engaging, John!
This was such a clear take on education and standardised testing. I remember having a similar discussion in class once about what standardised tests like the SATS , ACTs etc actually measure, aptitude or wealth? I agree that these tests may have been developed with the right intentions but the intention is not there anymore and it’s so easy for these tests to also be a marker of status and wealth.
Exactly, Kashaf. I think a lot of those tests started with decent intentions, but intentions don’t matter much when the system ends up rewarding wealth over ability. If we’re serious about equity, we have to stop pretending standardized tests are neutral. Really appreciate you adding your voice to this.
Fascinating read! My little brother is a teacher I’m sending this to him
Curious to hear what he has to say. I have never worked in public education, but I did teach for a living, it was aircraft systems and flying. That is pretty much competency based.