Education & The SAT

To contact us Click HERE
It has been awhile since I last posted. My health has not been well. Did anyone really expect a miracle? Nathan has been ill too. He has been throwing up quite often for well over a month. It isn't contagious because no one else has had it. Just him. He has lost a lot of weight because of it. It only happens shortly after he eats. I've been keeping tabs on what makes him throw up and what doesn't. After my constant begging, he has finally relented into seeing a doctor next week. He says that he doesn't know what good it will do because he has seen how I have been treated. Men, when they do get medical care, get better treatment than women. It is still a man's world after all. I pray he doesn't have anything serious. I can't live without him. My oldest daughter is still having kidney infections. She is seeing a specialist next week. One that is a distance away. Thank you oil companies for the high cost of gasoline!

I have also been very busy with homeschooling my children. My oldest daughter wants to take the SAT since she is planning on going to college. We picked a date and went through the registration process. Then we were halted in finalizing the registration by the uploading of a photo. None of the browsers could get through this part. The buttons were dead. So apparently the College Board has their website designed to work with the newer browsers and the newest java. So those of us who are not wealthy enough to buy a brand-new computer are discriminated against and excluded. Since the College Board is dealing with people of all income brackets, shouldn't they have their website accessible to all types of browsers? Are they trying to exclude the poor from a higher education?

So...we have to put her SAT on hold while I try to contact them. She  was upset because she just wants to get it over with.

Of course, this made me start thinking about this whole thing more. Why is the SAT, or other test, so important? Going through thirteen years of schooling wasn't enough? What does the SAT prove? That some people are better test takers than others? Just like with the end-of-school tests, it is just ridiculous to put so much importance on one singular test. Why are we judged based on one test? Why? Some people get severe test anxiety so they have to deal with mental anguish beforehand. Why is there so much red tape to get into college? Shouldn't a person be allowed to attend because they want to? Colleges act like it is a privilege to get chosen to attend their college, and then want to charge you some enormous amount which will take you a lifetime to pay off. If you are expected to pay that kind of money you shouldn't have to go through loops to get in.

Then there is the cost of the SAT. Oh no, it isn't free. Nothing is free in America, at least to native-born citizens. America is the greediest country in the world. It is fifty dollars for the privilege to take a long, boring test with no scientific value. Then if you want a detailed report on your score you have to pay almost fourteen dollars more. Shouldn't a detailed report be included with the fifty dollars already? What does the College Board do with all the money made from SATs? Yes, there is supposed to be a fee waiver for those who are poor. That has to be done through the public schools. I asked the school board about it, but they ignored my question. The public school system is not the least bit friendly or helpful to homeschoolers, despite the fact that we are taxpayers too and are therefore funding public education. So we will be paying out-of-pocket for the SAT fee.  

Then there is all this red tape over a photo ID. You have to upload a photo to their website and then print out a form to take, along with the photo, to a notary to sign stating that the student is who they say they are. Oh no, a parent, who gave birth to the child and raised them, isn't good enough. Some stranger's signature is held with more respect than the parent. If your picture doesn't look like you then they say you will not be admitted into the testing site. There is no mention of a refund if they refuse you admittance. Has this happened to anyone? My god, they act like you are on some top secret mission instead of just taking some useless, stupid test. I did not have to go through all these loops to take the SAT. What has changed so much that they have to make it so difficult? Are they afraid some test-lover will try to sneak in? You are paying fifty dollars so you should just be able to go and take the test. Maybe they think citizens will act like corporations and the government: lie, cheat, bribe, etc... All over a stupid test.

I do have one piece of good news. We may have found a new home. I hope it works out so that we can get away from here. Less stress is certainly better for everyone!

Until next time...