Another great question posed to me today. . . do I support TEKS?
First let’s ask how did students learn in the past and how do they learn now?
In early America, children were often called to the front of the classroom to recite lessons out loud. Passages from the Bible, arithmetic tables, or classical texts were used.
The goal was accuracy, memory, and the ability to explain knowledge in public. Written work was also a central feature: essays, letters, and speeches required students to build arguments, defend their positions, and communicate their reasoning. In these settings, answers were either right or wrong, or they required a thoughtful explanation. Guessing was not an option.
Fast forward to today, and the classroom looks very different. Students are most often assessed through multiple-choice tests, fill-in-the-blank exercises, and true/false questions. These tools became popular with the rise of standardized testing. They make it easier to evaluate large groups of students quickly and compare results across districts. But they also come with trade-offs: quick-answer testing may encourage memorization or guessing, while giving less space for creativity, persuasion, and critical thought.
Extended essays and oral defenses of ideas still exist, but they occupy a much smaller role in modern education than they once did.
This leaves us with an important question for today:
Which approach has given us better results — the older emphasis on essays, speeches, and right-or-wrong mastery, or the newer focus on quick, standardized testing?
What do you think?
Bonus: What are ideas we could implement in today’s classrooms or at home to enhance the older, successful way of learning while still adhering to current requirements? I’ll share one in the comments to get things rolling. . .
Note: TEKS - Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, which are the state standards for public school education in Texas from kindergarten through 12th grade. TEKS are the learning goals that guide what teachers teach and what students are expected to know in Texas schools.
Bottomline - TEKS are not going away anytime soon and we have to have ways to measure success. I would like to see creative ways to ensure students know right from wrong answers without prompts and also see more oral or written persuasive presentations.
Conservatives vs Establishment for school board - November 4, 2025 election
Vote for:
Monica Brown
David Rogers
Jessica Wark#knowourhistory #learningfromthepast #inittowinit2025
