Being Too Literal?

Being literal has its good and bad days. My son taught me this the other day when he had a test about vocabulary. He had to memorize a group of definitions for the upcoming test and the word 'sharing' was one of them. The phrase oneself was used by the school to explain how sharing is the process of giving to others the same amount as oneself. When he got his test back the word 'oneself' was replaced with yourself: he ended up getting the question wrong. Was it the school's fault for teaching my son to learn in a way that requires him to only memorize the necessary answers for testing or the genetics I passed on to him? I might need to sit down with my son and explain the fundamentals of thinking outside the box.
Yes, I am quite literal most of the time. It is very possible I cursed him with that particular gene; more to the point, is it right to have a school teach for what will be tested? I say no.
Only teaching what is needed for a state mandated test is ludicrous. If I was taught about a war in 1776 without knowing why it happened - so I could produce the proper answer on a test - does not sit well with me. Forced standardized testing in schools might be the culprits standing in our children's way for a chance at higher learning. Our children are subjected to testing on a regular basis; however; they are only taught what will be on mandated tests. Is it fair to them? No. An alternative for parents is to teach them at home. Home-schooling can be stressful and rewarding at the same time for both student and parent, and sometimes costly. Then again, the food might be better at home ... sorry, I strayed from the topic.
What happened to the days when Teachers used a curriculum as a guideline they put together instead of something carved in stone by the state? Maybe someday we will, again, move beyond teaching only what shows up on a test and actually begin to broaden the mind of our young again.

Read an Ebook Week is Here

Smashwords is building a catalog of specially marked ebooks participating in this event and I am one of them. Every title will be offered at a discount from 25% to 100% (one-hundred percent off equals free for those having problems with fractions). It all starts with publishing the limited time catalog on Smashwords at one minute past midnight - March 4, 2012. Start enjoying the fun and discounts by stopping by for a few free reads or exploring a new author. What code do you use for my participating tile, you ask? Here it is - REW50 (between 2012-03-04 to 2012-03-10)