The SAT ain't the boss of me!

My friend (a fellow homeschool mom) and I were in the car this afternoon discussing her daughter’s future college plans. Her daughter, who will be graduating next spring, has said that she doesn’t want to have to take the SAT.  I had also mentioned that I am not sure my younger son really truly needs to take geometry.  Why?  Because unless someone is going into a field which requires one to memorize lots of facts (like the medical field or engineering and such), one can get the answer for anything on the web.  And, even if they do take these classes in high school, what are the chances that they would have to look them up again?  Again, this does not apply to neurosurgery.  I would hope that my surgeon would not have to pull out Brain Surgery for Dummies  - 2014 Ed.  while he’s operating.  “Hang on.  I have the cerebellum chapter book-marked in here somewhere… Oops.  I spilled coffee on that page.”

My kids are not going into any fields that require them to memorize the steps for obtaining the volume of a cone.  If they really need to know, they can look it up.  I am 53 and I have not yet needed to know the volume of a cone.  There are plenty of fields that would require this fun tidbit, but so far my family has not needed it, nor do I foresee it.

We feel the SAT is antiquated.  Again, if a person really needs to know something, look it up.  The SAT covers everything under the sun, but not everything under the sun is going to apply to every major. 

I am not really interested in “being well-rounded” arguments.  I am really interested in what God wants for each life, for His purposes, and then allowing Him to dictate from there.  I have a college degree.  I obtained it before I became a Christian.  Had I to do it over again, my path would have been quite different.  I would not have wasted my time on a liberal arts degree just to net the golden degree ticket.  I would have hopefully put more time and thought about my true calling, and invested in preparing for that.

Of the four years I spent in college, here is my one take-away:  Psych out your professor to see what he really wants, and then give him the answers he wants.  That’s the way to pass tests and get good grades.  Bingo.  Dean’s list, baby!

We are still too immersed in the old school way of learning – literally.  Let’s harken back to when the person who “knew” had the books.  He would teach students lessons from those books that only he owned, and the students would have to memorize everything if they wanted to apply what they learned because they didn’t own the books.    In 2014, everything we need to know is just a tap away on the keyboard.  

I suggest we rethink how we educate and why.   What do we truly need to accomplish our goals?  I especially challenge the Christians of the home school community to be less concerned about trying to mirror the world, and worry more about the souls of men. 

“…of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.”   Ecc. 12:12