There is often a lot of talk in new-to-homeschooling groups about being afraid their child won’t progress as they had been in school.

I often get questions about how parents can measure progress without the exams they are so accustomed to as a gauge for success.⠀

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How do you know a child is progressing?⠀

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They show you.⠀

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You see it.⠀

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Where they once couldn’t do a thing, they now can.⠀

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Progress.⠀

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Period.⠀

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There is no need for elaborate testing or extravagant performances to prove a child has mastered a skill. 

The conventional education system has programmed us to believe children have to be consistently assessed to prove their worth.⠀

Parents, teachers, professionals, I urge you to check yourselves. When you learned to bake bread or knit or sew masks,, at which point did you know you had acquired the skill? Who administered the exam? Who questioned your progress?⠀

The conventional system requires accountability because parents/caregivers aren’t with their children for the 6 hours of learning time. They expect a report. Though this is true, even assessments within classrooms need not be of the drill type to prove a child has acquired a skill. ⠀

I encourage parents/educators to think about where your beliefs stem from and to remove all the excesses that suck the joy out of learning.

 

Not everything needs to be tested.

 

Not everything needs to be poked and prodded. I am confident enough to say it never does.⠀

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How do you know a child is progressing?⠀

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You just do. ⠀

 

 

Related Articles:

• Charts and Standards are Ableist
• Standardized Tests Are Ableist
• Standardized Exams: What’s It All For?