A Work at Home Mom’s Blog

If you ask me, schools focus way too much on test scores these days. It seems like they spend half the year preparing for various tests. Pumpkin had to take the EOGs (end of grade tests) last year, and she stressed majorly over it. And I can’t say I blame her, seeing how that was the thing that determines whether you pass or fail. Fortunately, she did well on them.

I was always on the honor roll when I was in elementary school, and for the most part I did well on those standardized tests we had to take every two or three years. But when it came to the timed multiplication tests, I had to take them multiple times before I passed. I knew my multiplication tables like the back of my hand, but I guess I just panicked when I had to do them quickly. I often wonder if the testing requirements were as stringent then as they were now, would I have passed, even though I was such a good student?

Fortunately, other than the occasional exam in a class that bored me to tears, I didn’t stress out over tests very much after that was over with. I didn’t even lose any sleep over the SAT. I took the PSAT and did well enough on it to get into most of the colleges that I was considering, so I didn’t really worry about it. I ended up going to community college, where SAT scores weren’t even considered, but I got a full scholarship due to my grades and score.

But looking back, I kind of wish I would have looked into some SAT prep courses, because I know that had I tried harder, I could have done better. And if I had done better, maybe I could have gotten a scholarship to a four-year college, which is where I really wanted to go. And perhaps I would be making a lot more money than I am now.

SAT prep would have been a no-brainer if it were as easy back then as it is now. You don’t have to find a school that offers courses in your area – you can take them online. Services like Knewton offer customized and interactive courses that you can take from the comfort of home. There are live classes with teacher’s assistants who can answer your questions in real time, personalized performance reports and more.

When the time comes for Pumpkin to take the SATs, I hope she’ll consider taking such a course. Because your SAT score can make a big difference in your higher education options.

Do you ever miss your high school or college days? I do. More college than high school for me, though. Maybe it’s because I was such a nobody in high school and had a lot more fun in college. But then I guess it wasn’t so much college itself that caused that as a shift in my attitudes and getting away from the people who I grew up with that assumed that they had me all figured out.

Whatever it was, I have found myself missing those two years of my life a lot lately. But you can’t go back. Sure, I could go back to school and get my bachelor’s degree, and even sign up for some GMAT prep courses and try to get into graduate school. But it just wouldn’t be the same. Times have changed, and I’ve changed. You know how it goes.

I don’t think I could muster the motivation to get another degree, even if I wanted to. I’m having trouble getting motivated to do just about anything, so going back to school right now probably wouldn’t be wise. Maybe one day. Or maybe not.