I received an 880 on my SAT in the Spring of my Senior year. I did not take any prep courses, didn’t even know they were available, and I can’t remember any of my friends taking them either.
As you can imagine, I did not get accepted into the university of my choice for my Freshman year.
For a little background, I was an A and B student in high school, so I had a decent GPA. There was one C on my transcript, but I was proud of it because – Chemistry.
It was hard for me to grasp how kids who sludged through school, hardly making it to class, turning in less than stellar work, and not making any effort scored higher than me on the SAT.
Embarrassed, I withdrew from my friends that summer. After all, I reasoned, they were leaving soon, why delay the inevitable?
It was a difficult season in my life. To this day, I don’t tell people my SAT score.
Until now, that is.
Why the change?
I caught myself in a lie – a lie I told myself over and over.
“I’m not very smart, but what I lack in brain power, I make up for with perseverance.”
If it isn’t evident, the SAT results and the results of other standardized tests I took throughout my formal education made their mark on me.
And, I believed their results.
I was “stupider” than the rest.
But thankfully, that’s not the end of my story.
Directly after high school graduation, I enrolled in a local junior college where I logged my first nine hours of coursework and by the Fall I transferred to the University of Houston for my Freshman year.
Toward the end of my Freshman year, I reapplied, was accepted and transferred to the university of my choice, Texas A&M.
Having no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, I chose classes based on interest alone – well, that and my work schedule.
Some of them made sense. Others, not so much; like Costume Construction. But seriously, how could I pass up that course?
And so, by the end of my Junior year I had an equal amount of hours in English, History, and Philosophy.
Choosing a major was simple. I selected based on the most interesting 400-level class available for that semester. I graduated in May of 1994 with a B.A. in History and a minor in English.
But even though I graduated from the university of my choice, I still denied I was smart.
I didn’t believe I was smart.
But now, I know I am.
I failed standardized tests over and over, and it doesn’t matter because I am smart.
Maybe I’m smart because I had to learn how to make my way since my scores wouldn’t pull me through.
Maybe I’m smart because I can’t just regurgitate facts, I need to assimilate and apply them.
Maybe I’m smart because my brain turns on when my fingers hit the keyboard, or I grab hold of a pen and write.
Maybe I’m smart because I can make a plan, work the plan, and stick with the plan even when it’s hard. Heck yea, I have perseverance, but it’s just icing on the cake.
Your kid is smart.
Right now.
At this very moment.
I believe your child was beautifully and intentionally created for a purpose, and he or she has a contribution to make in this world.
Maybe a lawyer.
Maybe a mechanic.
Equally smart, in my opinion.
Please, parents – if your child struggles through standardized tests, find a way to reduce the stress of it.
Do whatever it takes.
Don’t let them label themselves because it sticks around for a while – just ask me. Don’t run the risk that lie will always linger.
If “stupid is as stupid does”, then you have to believe that “smart is as smart does.”
About the Author: Heather Sanders is a work at home mom who homeschools her three children. If you’d like to learn how to pursue your passions and earn an income while staying home with your kids, subscribe today.