Danielle ForéMay 14
I dunno who needs to hear this but I got a D in Linux operating systems in college. If you’re passionate about something don’t let some institutional structure tell you that you’re not good at it
Helene TroedssonMay 14
Show threadsilhouette
@danirabbit I've had the discussion so many times that grades are nothing but a snapshot of your current knowledge of often very specific points at the point in time of taking the exam.

Luckily, knowledge isn't static and you are allowed to get better, learn, adapt and even break with convention at times. Our current way of imparting and testing for knowledge is deeply flawed in my opinion.
May 14 at 12:55pmWeb
Show threadNicole ParsonsMay 14

@silhouette @danirabbit

Also be cognizant of how such evaluations may be used to filter out people or used to achieve an agenda.

Computer science aptitude testing used to have test questions like "add together this long list of numbers in your head in 45 seconds". (Handy to filter out the poor, women, & immigrants).

Even then, people used calculators to add up numbers.

People can have a perfectly fine career in IT without being a mathematical mental acrobat.

1/

Show threadNicole ParsonsMay 14

2/

Firefighters used unfair upper body strength tests to keep women & POC out of emergency services for decades. Covert "Asians need not apply" policies.

South Africa used to have citizenship testing that required Welsh. Or the "pencil test".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid

https://theconversation.com/kinky-curly-hair-a-tool-of-resistance-across-the-african-diaspora-65692

Capitalism, imperialism, & Jim Crow used a variety of methods to justify & maintain a "self-perpetuating" social hierarchy.

The industry of "Aptitude Testing" is one.

https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/racist-beginnings-standardized-testing

Apartheid - Wikipedia