To the High School SAT
Veterans
By: Sean Savoie
For 10th grade high school readers reading this article, you, young future of the world within our desperate USA (excepting those who were physically ill due to bacterial infection, viral complications, or, more likely, psychologically induced panic on test day, will have taken the new SAT. Well…, congratulations! I applaud most of the changes on this test. On the previous SAT, the analogies were absurd! Despite fairly strong awareness of the subtle differences in relationships, I would creatively perceive alternative possibilities. It drove me crazy! The reasoning seemed to limit the creativity. Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than intelligence.” The new SAT allows for the assessment of creative learning potential primarily through its required essay. Yes, though an annoyance to prepare for, the essay is a beautiful addition to the college-entrance procedure. Though seemingly impossible to teach carefully in public school, essays give truly intelligent students, maybe simply street-smart ones, an opportunity to not only enter a great college or university, but also excel in the academic arena.
Our society has changed so rapidly and drastically that corporations and governments (if there is such a difference) have been forced to realize that skill is separate from formal education. Yes, there are idiots who come out of Ivy League schools and geniuses, such as Bill Gates and Albert Einstein (and possibly yourself), who achieve excellence through sheer desire to understand without advanced formal education.
The best aspect of the essay portion of the test is that a potential school is more able to assess how a student processes information. This is not strictly a number. For this reason, a relatively motivated student who has not been a bookworm and killer test-taker may express to the institution his or her purpose for desiring the opportunity for a clean slate, a fresh desire for knowledge. Most of the sharpest people I know did not excel in school. Individuality fosters an authentic understanding of human existence, a healthy and natural tendency of youth. Even the rebelliousness of youth best prospers through the power of expression.
Taking my SATs in1983, I found the most
ridiculous question after a longer reading to be something like: “The best title
for this essay would be: A) The Monkey and Its Habitat. B) The Habitat of
Monkeys. C) How Monkeys Maintain Their Territory. D) Habitat and
Please keep in mind, however, that you ALL should take the SAT a second time.
Regardless of how young students feel about education and participation in local, national, or international issues, students who gain power through effective writing will secure the ability to express, allowing change to occur more peacefully and effectively.
Again, congratulations to all our first-time SAT takers! Almost a right of passage, a coming of age, a consummate pain in the butt, the test has now been taken. For those of you who feel the potential to thrive in college cannot be reduced to a number, learn to write powerfully and show us all the difference.