Please see the latest letter I have written to the Florida Secretary of Education and State School Board below:

Did you hear that collective gasp that rippled throughout Florida the day the Lee County School Board voted to opt out of state testing?

It may have been ill-timed, but it should have been a wakeup cry to all who represent us in Tallahassee.

Does anyone in our state government realize how inappropriate many of these tests are, especially in our early childhood classrooms? Does anyone care?

I have always cringed at those photo ops near election time. A candidate standing next to a teacher or sitting and reading to a kindergarten classroom. The tired old, “I’m for teachers and students” line spouted behind enormous grins. Why is it we see these only when someone is campaigning? Once in Tallahassee promises for better education are forgotten.

I have been writing my school board in Collier County for years regarding the developmentally inappropriate environment in our early childhood classrooms. But to no avail. They continue to point the finger at Tallahassee and laws made by our government that “tie their hands.”

So much has been taken away from our young children (kindergarten, grades 1 and 2) in the past ten years.

First recess, depriving them of time needed to interact with each other in a safe and, dare I say, fun environment. A time to run and jump and develop those gross motor skills so important to their physical development. There is much research available lauding the value of recess. I have yet to find research against this valuable part of childhood.

Then, you took away play centers like blocks, dress-up and painting from our kindergarten classrooms. These essentials foster creativity, problem solving, learning of math skills, and interaction between children of all ethnicities. Our young children are concrete learners, yet they are now expected to deal with abstract learning and ideas.

Last, by not least, you have taken away their entire first month of school. In this most precious month our teachers should be concentrating on building the foundation of love of learning, the wonder found in books, and in kindergarten, the routine of the classroom. They should be untethered and allowed to help children blossom in their creativity. But, you know what they are doing, because of laws passed by our state government? They are testing. TESTING five and six year old children. It’s called the FAIR test – talk about an oxymoron.

In my opinion testing in the early grades should be eliminated COMPLETELY. And it should be done NOW and not just because of computer glitches, but because they are inappropriate and a waste of time. My school board tells me that they do not have the ability to change things. Do you?

I have been writing the governor and my representatives in Tallahassee, but all I get (when they are actually acknowledged) are form letters back that say something like: “Thank you for your interest in education in Florida. Governor – fill in the blank – is concerned about the children of our state. Please look at his/her website to see all he/she is doing.” No one will address my concerns. It is so frustrating.

Lee County’s vote to opt out. Ill timed, yes. But, it should be a wakeup call for our representatives in Tallahassee.