Plain Ole School

When I was growing up we went to school.  No fancy school, just a plain ole school.  I received the paper to sign Bri up for her top three school choices at the high school.  Yes, our high school is divided up into five different schools.  FIVE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS with one school having an academy!  The new elementary school that Alex is to attend next year is a partial STEM.  Did I know what that meant?  NOPE!  (It means Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)  Whatever happened to just plain old school?  Why do we have to have kids, as young as 5, decide they want to be engineers or to speak Japanese?  What about the kids that don't fit into the the STEM box, which is the newest thing in education?

To education leaders out there, because I know you read these ramblings, please STOP the craziness.  Please, let our kids be kids.  Let our kids learn subjects beyond what is tested, play music, do art, be creative, be kids!  Let our teachers be teachers.  Stop making them teach some ridiculous test that you are just going to revamp in a couple of years.  Stop, just stop!  I think I am a fairly smart woman and I wasn't tested every other week to monitor my progress.  I also went to a plain ole run of the mill school.  Not some school with a fancy name or fancy programs, just teachers who cared.