No Disrespect to My Great State...But You Are Assessing the Wrong Things

We finished state assessments today, and on the way home, my eleven-year-old and I were discussing how he thought he did.

I pointed out to him that I had found out all I needed to know about how he was doing that very morning, before he even walked into the testing site.

We were listening to NPR on the hour drive up, and the subject of the death penalty came up (many states are repealing their death penalty laws as a way to save money).  I asked my eleven-year-old what he thought about the death penalty.  He was quiet for a moment and then said, "I don't think that the death penalty is right."  I asked him to explain why he felt the way he did.  His response?

"I don't think any person has a right to decide when someone else dies and doesn't get a chance to know about God anymore." 

Wow.

He has a thought-out reason for why he feels the way he does AND he is concerned about his fellow man and fulfilling the Great Commission.

My great state may need to know that he can convert a decimal to a fraction, figure the probability of drawing a blue marble out of a bag of marbles, and know what a hyperbole is, but I found out today exactly what I need to know. 

 Does he have a relationship with God?  Does he care about others? Can he think?  Check.  Check. Check.

You get an "Exemplary" in my book, Kiddo!