A friend of a friend shared this with me today. I love this. My friend said: My daughter’s new elementary school principle sent this to all the students as they received their state standardized testing scores this week:
“We are concerned that these tests do not always assess all of what it is that make each of you special and unique. The people who create these tests and score them do not know each of you– the way your teachers do, the way I hope to, and certainly not the way your families do. They do not know that many of you speak two languages. They do not know that you can play a musical instrument or that you can dance or paint a picture. They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them or that your laughter can brighten the dreariest day. They do not know that you write poetry or songs, play or participate in sports, wonder about the future, or that sometimes you take care of your little brother or sister after school. They do not know that you have traveled to a really neat place or that you know how to tell a great story or that you really love spending time with special family members and friends. They do not know that you can be trustworthy, kind or thoughtful, and that you try, every day, to be your very best… the scores you get will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything. There are many ways of being smart.”
My friend reported her daughter who did well on the test shrugged about her scores, but read the letter over and over and held it close to her heart announcing, “I really love this.”
UPDATE: Click here to read an update to this post and information from/about the original author of the letter about test scores: https://aceitnow.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/an-open-letter-to-students-receiving-standardized-test-scores/
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i attempted to give credit where credit was due. my point was it is a lovely thing to say to students.
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Actually the author of the original letter has contacted me. I will update on my blog once I have her permission.
Hello,
Do you know which elementary school sent this out originally? It has become a bit of a sensation in the UK.
i wish i did! i will try to find out. can you share how and where it has become a sensation there?
I have been contacted by the original author, and will update on my blog once I have her permission to do so.
I wrote this and sent it to a small newspaper in western Massachusetts in December of 1999. If you send me your email address, I can send you the original.
Hi Mary~ I am SOOOO thrilled that you contacted me! As you can see from some of the comments recently, your letter is a sensation here in the states and in England!! I will contact you post haste! ~ kate
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