Imagine this

On By Michele LeeIn Reading, Social Justice, Verse, Writing
We cannot standardize test
our way out of this mess.
We need less desks in uniform rows
crammed with young bound bodies
cracking from the conforming stress.
Every other answer a bubbled-in guess.
More creative thinkers are needed
to get us out of this mess.
Shred the excessive expensive tests!
Give young minds more tools to create and explore.
Young limitless minds, we should nurture and protect.
Don’t force them in a bubble that doesn’t fit!
Young minds full of hope, dreams, and imagination
may not know the ways of the world
but they often know what is best.

Scene from the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), based on the 1964 book by Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The musical score, Pure Imagination, performed by Gene Wilder, is from the movie soundtrack. One of my favorite movies and a song I enjoy playing on my clarinet. 🎶

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

~ Albert Einstein

I recently connected with my friend Ginger Scott over breakfast. Ginger is a prolific author who delivered motivational presentations to my high school honors classes. I met her just prior to her visiting my classroom and we have remained friends. Her visits were inspirational and informative, and I am confident that she gave a few students ideas on how they could pursue their own writing career goals, and more importantly a belief that they could. ✨ With experience in journalism and communications she forged a new path several years ago; she decided to follow her heart and write her first novel, Waiting on the Sidelines (2013). She hasn’t stopped writing! She is a bestselling author who has written more than thirty novels. She continues to be an inspiration in my life and a genuine supporter of my book writing goals.

Updates on my book project: I completed the second round of edits, and my manuscript is now with beta readers. Thus far the feedback has been positive – a humbling and motivating experience for me. ✨ While my readers continue to turn the pages of my book, I am at the start of my query process. The journey continues…

Ginger (featured in my photo) was an author presenter a few years ago at an Arizona English Teacher Association Conference. We had already met, and I was delighted to see her there. To learn more about Ginger and peruse her book catalog, which includes her recently released title, Loner: The Boys of Welles Book One, visit: https://www.littlemisswrite.com/

Thank you for visiting and reading! Be well. 💗 Michele

Featured photo: Shutterstock

© 2022 Michele Lee Sefton

104 thoughts on “Imagine this”

  1. I seems people disagree on the solutions, but I perceive many feel there needs to be changes in the K through 12 curricula to better prepare students for the life skills they need to be productive citizens and live long healthy satisfactory lives. However, one cannot expect the schools to do everything given so many single parent households, which has practically become the norm is some areas.

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    2. https://tamarakulish.com/

      Even in two-parent households, parents don’t feel equipped to help kids with homework, plus there are such different ideas about what is healthy behavior, so busy parents often don’t teach according to how others may want them to. For example, some people see it as weak to show emotion or to talk about emotions; others feel being a winner is winning at all costs, and cutting corners morally is okay to achieve an end result.

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      1. You bring up valid points, Tamara, which remind me how difficult it has been for working parents during the pandemic, trying to balance work and the learning needs of their children. Challenging times on many levels. Thank you very much for your perspectives. 🙏🏻

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  2. What a beautiful poem on imagination, creativity, and exploration. Thinking and imagining without limitations is not only vital for youngsters, but for us bullheaded adults too. 😝 Thanks so much for sharing such positivity Michele my Belle. I love that photo which I could have used on my yesterday’s post! LOL 🤗🌈😁

    Your friend Ginger is quite an asset to have in your corner. A best-seller is no joke. Let’s toast to your future and your success my dancing queen! 🥂🥂🥂 Hugs and smooches my dear! 🤗💖😘🌺🥰💋😍

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    1. Thank you, Kymbelina! Absolutely yes, we should never lose our inner child, our ability to imagine. Keeping our imagination active greatly enriches our life. It certainly does mine! True about that photo. 🌈 😊 Also true about Ginger. She is amazing and humble which makes her a true gem! 💎 I am grateful for your enthusiasm and encouragement, my fellow dancing queen! 💃🏽💖💃🏻

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    1. Many stakeholders with competing interests dictating how students should be taught. Many who have never taught! Students and their creativity often pay the price. Thank you, Joy. I appreciate your comment and support. Cheering you on too! 🙌🏻 🌈

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  6. It seems to me plain why children are tested. It is so politicians have a measure of how well their policies are working.
    So, if you abolished tests, what would you use instead to measure success? How would you know whether such-and-such a policy is working or not?

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    1. Yes, politicians and other stakeholders rely on those test results to measure the advancement of ever-changing policies. Tests riddled with issues. The ultimate measure is a society where more people are living a life of purpose and passion vs. bondage and mediocrity but that is long-term thinking that is hard to quantify. I am not advocating for the abolishment of all tests, but the amount of standardized testing (in America) is excessive. Thank you for contributing to this conversation! 🙏🏻

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      1. There is exactly the same debate here but again no clear answer. There was a survey a few years ago where Finns were determined to be the “happiest” nation. Perhaps the criteria used for that would be a good start point?

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    1. Yes, we all do!! 😊 As for students, there are amazing teachers doing their best to foster this within their individual classrooms but testing schedules and testing demands compete with their best interests. Also, yearly teacher bonuses are in part tied to their students doing well, so there is that incentive to put tests above more creative endeavors. I appreciate your comment. Thank you, Simon!

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  8. I couldn’t agree more with your thoughts on education. We are not encouraging our children to be creative thinkers but rather worker drones. Here’s to setting their imaginations free! 🤗

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    1. I wish we were both wrong about the state of educational affairs. 😞 Creative thinkers over drones. Yes!! Of course, there are amazing parents, like you, ensuring that their children have a life rich in play and creativity, but not all children are so blessed. Rich school experiences are vital, for many reasons. Thank you, Ingrid, for visiting and sharing your inspired thoughts! 🙏🏻😊

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  9. Education must stimulate the imagination… that has to be its number one focus. It is only the imagination of the youth which has the potential to steer social energies in a more healing direction. (And education includes parenting.)

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    1. Absolutely, yes! I was fortunate to have that experience in my early years. Thank you for your articulate response. 🙏🏻 Parents are indeed the first teachers and their supportive involvement is paramount!

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  10. Timothy Price

    I love the poem and agree. My wife is into project-based learning and giving students the freedom to explore their interests and apply interest to the subjects at hand. She has to constantly fight the people who think lecturing students and standing in front of the class writing problems on the board is the only proper form of teaching.

    During the pandemic she used Google Classroom to teach her math classes. The students did very well because she could break them out into individual virtual rooms to give them individual attention and work out problems in private that many students were embarrassed to address in a classroom setting.

    She had one 8th grader who was failing all his classes. He had all kinds of anxieties from being shuffled around between divorced parents and being bullied by other kids. When the semester started, he tested at a 3rd grade level in math. He was teaching himself to play guitar and wanted to play for my wife. She told him if he got all his work done, he could play for her in the last few minutes of his breakout session. That was enough incentive for him to get up early every morning and get all his math problems done so he could play guitar for my wife at the end of his break out. His brought his math grade up to an A, and at the end of the semester he tested at a 7th grade level in math. He failed all his other classes. When our governor ordered all everyone to return to their classrooms, she lost the ability to give the students the individual attention that she could in the Google Classroom break out rooms.

    She also taught a financial Algebra class for juniors and seniors. She had the students make up their own business with business plans and figure the cost of starting their businesses. As they worked through the sections in the book they had to do expenses, depreciation, payroll taxes, businesses taxes, etc. She had two seniors who had ideas for businesses before they took the class, and by the end of class, both started their businesses. Get this. The NM DOE dropped financial algebra from the state curriculum. Apparently they don’t want students taking classes that might help them to be successful. The people in the DOE seem to want to keep NM schools at the bottom.

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    1. I can relate to your wife’s challenges. PBL is individualistic and enriching for students. My early educational years were heavily influenced by this type of learning environment and what I learned then gave me a solid foundation. I am sure I learned more in that setting than I ever did from a teacher lecturing.

      Kudos to your wife! We use breakout rooms in the online writing workshops I assist with. Virtual may not be ideal, especially for young students, but those rooms are one way to offer individualized/smaller group instruction. I am very moved by the story of the guitar-playing student. Sometimes the caring compassion of one adult can change the course of a young person, maybe for life. 💗

      Your wife sounds amazing. We need more teachers like her! Especially in those important core classes. An upsetting end to the financial algebra story. Many decisions do not make sense in the classroom – the place where policy makers spend little time, it seems.

      Thank you so much, Timothy, for sharing a bit about your wife’s teaching journey.

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      1. Timothy Price

        She also teaches English and language arts. She is teaching high school English/journalism this year with a twist. The schools keeps giving her more special ed students, so now she has to work on getting a special ed license. She is also licensed to teach art. She has taught art classes, but she includes art in her math and English classes. Everyone needs art, and music if they can get it.

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    1. How sweet! Your comment warms my heart, Aaysid. I came across that picture a while ago and knew I wanted to write something complementary. The words tumbled out this morning. Willy Wonka seemed a good fit. 🍭 There is at least one child in that show who could run the show! 😁 Thank you for mentioning! 💖

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  15. I don’t know what the answer is for teaching kids, but I know I felt stifled and bored by the standardized approach to teaching that focused so heavily on memorization of information, rather than learning how to learn, think, and create. Waldorf and Montessori schools seem better for creativity.

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    1. So many students feel like you felt. The lessons that I most remember are those where I had a choice in what I studied, with enrichment activities that brought learning to life, beyond the test and the textbook. I do not have experience with Montessori schools, but their approach does seem to foster natural curiosity. Thank you for contributing to this discussion, Brad. 🙏🏻

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    1. I hope it is soon. Now would be better! Thank you, Natalie, for reading and appreciating a topic that makes life more enjoyable and one that can open doors to new worlds and discoveries. 😊

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  17. I agree with giving especially younger students, more freedom of movement and expression, in their learning. As for standardized testing…… some people are good at it and ace the exams others are not . The intelligence, acquired knowledge and understanding of the student is not really measured well by these tests.

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    1. More freedom of movement and expression. Yes!! Thank you for picking up on that. Humans are not robots. We need to move and express! The young and the young at heart need this. 💖 So true, those tests may satisfy the need of governmental entities to label schools and to a certain extent teachers, but they leave out many details, like a student’s artistic abilities.

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  20. Thought Provoking poem!!
    Young ones are the future. More tools and opportunities should be given to them.
    .
    Your friend is amazing like you. I mean 30 novels? Wow
    .
    You are dazzling. Best wishes for your book. Kindly make it available for Indian readers.

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  21. I recall these same issues being debated when I first went into education, following university. Now I have been retired for a decade and the debates are still going on. Getting a balance between what students may need to know, in terms of mathematics or whatever, and how they can think and be creative, is something we have struggled with for over fifty years. When you start to ‘privatize’ the curriculum (which is what is happening in the UK) then we are widening the debate even further. What happens when ‘education’ becomes a form of ‘indoctrination’?

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    1. A worn-out debate. You have introduced the core struggle and issues that are compounding the situation. Issues that are also happening in the US. I believe indoctrination has been happening for a long time, in a variety of settings. Historically, some have been damaging if not abusive, like the treatment of Native American students, beginning in the 19th century. 😞 Thank you for your informed comment, David.

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  22. “More creative thinkers are needed
    to get us out of this mess.
    Shred the excessive expensive tests!
    Give young minds more tools to create and explore.
    Young limitless minds, we should nurture and protect.
    Don’t force them in a bubble that doesn’t fit!
    Young minds full of hope, dreams, and imagination
    may not know the ways of the world
    but they often know what is best.”

    Absolutely yes to this!! 👍👍

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      1. I’m incredibly passionate about this Michelle! 👍😁 Not all kids and students fit in to the academic mould nor can their intelligence be measured in the traditional school manner. My younger sister never finished secondary school here in Ireland yet she went on to set up her own company teaching circus skills and performing at various gigs across the country. My oldest sister is an art teacher. My other sister: Denise, God rest her soul, was incredibly intelligent yet was put down for it by her teachers; suffered from what we now know as ADHD and my older brother went to the States to finish his education and also went on to set up his own company, a chain of restaurants called Strawberry Fields. I myself am a poet and endured school as opposed to enjoying it.

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      3. Definitely not my family anyways, ha! 😛😂 You’re very welcome Michelle! 😁👍 My mum always encouraged us to do what made us happy not what society expects of you or what other people want you to do! 👍

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  23. Amen Amen and Amen! I have been saying this for years! There is no creativity or expression in bubbling in circles. Very well written, Standardized testing tends to exclude the creative hands-on visual learners. Michele!

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  24. So wonderful poem and inspiring article also to read , so nice of you 🌷🙏♥️👍🏻
    We parents want to give so much love and trust , so sure they will be blessed and
    the young children will be so talented in future and school activities they will shine 👌
    Your friend also like you a great Author ✍️ so glad to hear that she wrote 30 Books 📚
    photo also so lovely and grace wishes to you and friend 🙏♥️😊thank you for sharing
    dear 🌷😊👏 A very Good morning 🌷💐♥️

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  25. You know from your years as a teacher that the standardized tests are not improving education. More pressure younger to read is not healthy either. There are great educational models out there that produce creative thinkers and give kids the time outdoors they need. That is how we will solve key problems in the next decades, rather than produce fact regurgitators who are helpless in adversity.

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    1. More time outdoors has my vote! Time spent outdoors is enriching for all ages. So much can be learned about self, the environment, and creativity by exploring the outdoors. With more time in front of screens, it seems young people have a nature deprivation. Not in your household though. 😊 Thank you, Rebecca, for contributing a valuable comment to this discussion.

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  26. I so agree with your poem and your thoughts. Learning has always been more than books and blackboards. Now with the state around schools teachers and admins are afraid to even let a child out of the classroom. I try and take my grandkids exploring whenever I can; we went on a grasshopper hunt the other day. Much more fun than seeing pictures in books. Keep up the love, my friend.

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  27. Yes and yes. As teachers, you know to some extent our hands are tied. While I agree our Ed system needs a massive overhaul, I also believe there are teachers out there that do what they think is best for their students, even if it is not the norm. And I am firm believer in flexible seating 🤣🤣

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    1. Yes, right you are, Anna, and yes, there are incredible teachers who perform amazing feats everyday even with tied hands. It’s quite extraordinary! haha Yes, I was forever moving desks around. My work out for the week! Thank you for all that you do. 🙏🏻 It is a most challenging job but also highly rewarding when you make the difference in the life of a child. 💗

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  28. Michelle, standardized tests are a sore spot for me even though I have been retired for more than ten years. Standardized tests are a blight on the education system! The skill they measure is largely “multiple guess.” My late husband taught health law to healthcare professionals who were graduate students at FIU. I used to take his tests and usually aced them, although I knew nothing about health law.

    Though standardized tests have inherent limitations, the worst aspect is that they have been used as weapons against students, teachers, and schools. They are discriminatory to multiple learning styles, have cultural biases, and enable manipulative politicians.

    The daily drill and kill test preparation at one school where I taught was mind-numbing, destroyed motivation, and caused discipline problems. It took the place of instruction in social studies and science since those subjects were not being tested at that time. I don’t blame students for being angry. They were being deprived of a well-rounded education and used as political pawns!

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    1. “multiple guess” – Yes. 😞 Wow, your own test taking example sums it up. Your second paragraph is spot on and reminds me of some of the reasons I participated in the many Red for Ed marches and activities. Great efforts taken with limited results. I too experienced what you wrote about. I echo your feelings and could shout them from the mountaintops! Thank you very much, Cheryl, for sharing your experiences and thoughts about the state of education.

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  32. More creative thinkers are needed, you’re so right that. The world need people who can think creatively, who can do things that seems unachieveable. And, that’s only be possible if we allow the young minds to explore the unexplored.

    I love your thoughts on this.

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  34. I was unschooled until I finished my high school education two years ago, so I have never truly experienced the stories I hear about the school system. I took my SAT at my local high school, however, and it was my first time in the building.

    The classrooms were small and cramped; the desks were bolted to the floors and the chair bolted to both the floor and the desk. It was dingy and miserable and oppressive. I was truly grateful to have had the learning experience I did more than ever before, but poems like yours highlight the immense need for change and illustrate what I have been lucky to have and have never had to only imagine . . . thank you for sharing, Michele!

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    1. Based on your writing and interactions, your homeschooling was superior! A solid foundation that is allowing you to soar, with many exciting things in your future! ✨ The classroom situation you described sounds depressing. 😞 Thank goodness your time there was limited to one test. Thank you, Jaya, for contributing your perspective as a homeschool stellar student! 🌟

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  35. The public school system is a mess, in my opinion, and I encourage parents all the time to get their kids out of the public schools. We have a very fine charter school system where I live that is very popular, and the kids seem to do well. My daughter works in academia in California, and some of the colleges and universities there are also mismanaged and do a great disservice to the kids who pay to attend.

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    1. It is good and helpful that parents have options. Research is paramount – not all charter schools put students first. The same is true at the collegiate level. Tremendous room for improvement at every level. Thank you, Dawn, for contributing to this important topic. 🙏🏻

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