The sign read "Not Your Ordinary Garage Sale," and what I witnessed yesterday cannot be measured by a test score. A student who attends Cache High School planned, implemented, and carried out a garage sale to raise money for a charity. This charity helps children in other countries who need life-saving surgeries. She started planning in November, assigned everyone a job, and with the help of volunteers from the church, collected items for the sale. Other students from Cache were in charge of the games children would play while their parents shopped. The items in the sale were not marked; customers donated what they thought the items were worth. In six hours, a student with an idea helped raise $6,400.
We need to take a step back and reflect on what students should know and what they can do with that knowledge. This project is college & career readiness in action, unlike sitting in front a computer screen taking a test. I saw work ethic, determination, and responsibility that cannot be measured by a test score. What I observed justifies the path I want all my students to take next year; get up and do something with what they have learned.
This is exactly what we need to strive to see our students doing -- leading, implementing, deciding, changing -- not sitting in front of a screen and, in some cases, being told they are "unsatisfactory." Thank you for sharing this inspiring story!
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