In a country known for freedom and democracy, it might sound like everything is fair and just. But justice is not always easy to attain and the recent controversies involving public school education is proof of that. The problem at hand: Common Core Testing.

I'm going to tell you a little bit of background information on these tests. Anybody going to a public school has or is going to complete them. These tests are designed to make students "think deeper" and analyze their work. The problem is that the tests are poorly worded and most of the questions are opinionated and ambiguous. For example, the test might have a simple question such as "What is the main idea of this passage?” The question will have four different answer choices, all slightly similar. The issue is that everybody interprets things differently. It's like those optical illusions with two images. Some may see an old woman while others will see a young woman. So if everybody interprets and understands things differently, then what is the right answer? Honestly, why should there be a right answer? Common Core claims that these tests encourage deeper, critical thinking, but all these tests are doing is stifling our creativity. The website Today Parents states that Common Core is the "idea that U.S. students should all learn the same educational essentials, regardless of whether they live in Mississippi or Massachusetts." Where is the logic in making every child think the same? That's the beauty of individuality; everybody thinks the way they want to.

Steve Jobs invented the iPhone because he thought outside the box. He imagined and thought of a world with handheld, mobile cell phones. The same is true for Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein and Marie Curie. All of these people opened up their minds to new ideas and thus innovated some of the most important inventions in history. These people thought the way they wanted to and that is what public schools should be encouraging. If everybody thought the same and had the same opinions, then what would be the point in anything? We might as well just be robots, programmed to think the way somebody else wants us to.

I want to imagine a future where everybody has the freedom to analyze and interpret things their own way. We can learn so much from listening to other people's ideas and thoughts. These standardized tests are diminishing our creative and individual freedom. We have to speak up for what is right. Currently, there are thousands of kids across the nation refusing to participate in these poorly constructed tests. We may be teenagers but we can still speak up and make our voices heard.

So you can participate in these tests lf you want to, or if you’re looking to be a part of something bigger, you can choose to say no.
The choice is all yours.