Inan age when an increasing number of public-school students are being taught inpreparation for a single test, one may ask if this is really democracy. With thegovernment dictating what teachers teach in order for their students to pass atest, it seems that freedom is being infringed upon. It seems ironic thatpoliticians are telling teachers what to teach. With the SATs holding more andmore weight for college admissions, and tests such as Massachusetts' MCAS able toprevent a student from graduating, the educational system is seemingly becomingjust another dictate of the government.

Teachers have long taught theimportance of the seven intelligences. They have taught that not everyone learnsin the same way and that not every child is a good test taker. Yet, in recentyears, due to government funding, schools have resorted to "teaching to thetest." Curriculums have been completely changed, and teachers forced toteach drab lessons straight from textbooks in order to be ready for the tests.Creativity in teaching seems to be losing ground while straight note-taking andlectures are gaining. One may argue that teachers are only trying to give theirstudents the advantage and prepare them for what really will count in the end -standardized test scores.

It seems that the techniques and subjects whichencouraged students to learn and what made learning fun are becoming nonexistent.Children today are missing out when it comes to learning about arts, cultures oranything which is not important when it comes to the SATs. Yet many believe thereis simply not enough time. I can't help but wonder, though - what are we rushingfor?