We define a Whole Child by his or her test scores secured in a single week. Then, sage as we are, call that a comprehensive assessment.
Statisticians conclude that the results of high-stakes assessment tests taken over the course of a few days, correctly characterize the complexity that is your child.
Someone who has never seen or spoken with your tot, teen, or tween determines the wealth of knowledge he, or she, has acquired.
This person will not consider that perhaps, on the occasion of his or her testing, the young one was ill.
Nor will a group of examiners be made aware of his or her circumstances.
It might be that little John or Jane just discovered plans of an impending divorce, a death in the family, or Juanita and Jose' learned that a friend had moved to parts unknown.
Will these events be reflected in the final test scores? Absolutely!.
Labels do not distinguish.
All are created equal, even when they are not. Indeed, as Alvin expounds . . .
"No two people, places, experiences or emotions are ever the same. They are similar, but never the same."
This is why I say to you, what you saw on the screen minutes ago was not "One Class," "One Year," or an extraordinary Teacher with her exceptional students.
August To June shows us the many who learn daily in our schools. It also bears witness to the countless ways in which each discovers new knowledge.
On the screen we observed you and me . . . all learners, unique beings that we each are.
This film is not a prescription for a standardized proposal.
In August To June you heard Amy reflect a more real profundity . . .
I don't know what will become of the children in my classroom. I may think I have glimpses of their futures, but there are so many influences that I can't see, can't imagine. What I can offer is a solid beginning, giving them tools they can use in many situations, and opportunities to use them. 
Just as my cousin Alvin, Amy does not pretend to know which pearls of wisdom thrown will be caught.
Instead, Educator Amy Valens speaks to the similarities that are never the same.
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