Recently, I had the opportunity to sit in with a class of eighth-graders during a meeting with the state's commissioner of education. It was the usual "stay in school, do your best" sort of conversation until the commissioner brought up the implementation of certain policies. She asked specifically about testing and how the kids thought test results should be used -- to make decisions about high school placement, etc.?

One girl raised her hand and said, "I don't think it's fair to use test results that way. I get really nervous and I always do bad on tests."

I expected the commissioner to launch into a discussion of the value of testing; instead, her expression grew serious as she told the student how important it was that she stop telling herself that she was bad at taking tests.

Now she had my attention!

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know full well by now that I'm a huge believer that what we tell ourselves about ourselves has a profound impact on who and what we ultimately become. If you think you're the "fat girl" that nobody's interested in, chances are good you'll never raise your hand to join the class discussion. If you're the boy who's constantly worried about whether the other guys think you're cool enough, you're probably not focused on the task at hand. What kids tell themselves -- all the ways they worry that they're not good enough -- shapes the educational experience they have on a daily basis.