The average year for your typical middle-school student consists of the basic subjects — math, language arts, history and science.
Within the year, students undergo intense studying and preparation for testing in language arts and math, with science being included in the eighth grade. It is naturally assumed that the grade students score on this reflects many factors, such as the quality of the teachers and the determination of the student, which of course is true, but it doesn’t include everything.
As of 2017, the overall rate of students passing the EOGs rose to 59.2 percent; however, I am confident that all students have learned more than just what the EOGs are testing.
Being a student in the eighth grade at Uwharrie Charter Academy, I know that within the year, students learn more than the generic subjects, and they experience their own form of character development because of school. The teachers are the ones that animate our books, ignite the embers in learning and bring the best out in the students.
There are numerous things taught during school that you can’t find within the pages of a textbook and can’t be measured by a test, such as public speaking, confidence, communication skills and even perseverance. These tests still hold an important role in a school year, but the things that go beyond testing matter, too. Our teachers support us and teach us to read between the lines causing students to grow every day.
The benefit I have by studying at UCA is that the school gives the attending students phenomenal opportunities to learn much more than how to do well on a test. In the three years that I have been here, we’ve performed a numerous amount of exotic projects in all classes, from conducting our very own broadcast that is presented weekly to the entire school to constructing model cannons in groups for the eighth grade Civil War unit.
In our STEAM classes, the activities range from 3D printing prosthetic hands to even selling products from these classes throughout the school, and all STEAM classes include teaching the students social skills. Students are challenged to reach out of their personal comfort zones through fun activities that help students learn more about themselves.
When it comes down to presenting these projects to an entire class, or even just a few people, students gain fantastic practice for public speaking. Students always have to communicate and express new ideas among themselves when working in groups, and over time they excel in this skill. The gradual improvement witnessed in a student because of school goes a long way, even if the student didn’t quite ace the EOGs. The experience granted to them is what will carry them on to bigger things in the future.
As a student, the pressure to do well on the EOGs can be pretty stressful considering it’s a big deal, but I really want to emphasize and spread the word that we all are learning beyond these tests.
In sixth grade, I was nervous about starting at a new school, but Uwharrie Charter has shown me what a true, comfortable learning environment looks like, and as time went on I was able to thoroughly enjoy the year. I learned that it was okay to ask my peers for help, and I learned new ways to present my ideas to others. It’s truly been a long journey, but I am proud of what I’ve learned beyond the four subjects and look forward to attending the high school.
During the next four years, I’ll continue to learn new things and will be prepared to take what I’ve learned into the real world.
* Carey Politoski is in the eighth grade at Uwharrie Charter Academy.