What happened to the Passion?

I found it sad today when I student told me that he didn’t need to learn anymore because he had already taken the test he needed to take. What message are we sending our kids by testing them so often? How are we providing them with the knowledge to help them become well rounded adults if our curriculum is only geared at what might appear on a state test? It is heartbreaking to think how these students, who I care about as if they were my own, are missing the point of learning. Learning is not something to be gained only so to pass a test! Learning is about feeding our deepest human yearning and following the path our curiosity sets before us. I hope that we teachers can find a way to fix this broken system and bring passion back to our classrooms.