---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Its important that kids learn, but I…"
description: "\"Its important that kids learn, but I really dont like all the testing, testing, testing.\" — Marcia Gay Harden"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/marcia-gay-harden-8656_education_its-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-real_103141.jpg"
---

#  Its important that kids learn, but I really dont like all…

![“Its important that kids learn, but I really dont like all the testing, testing, testing.” quote by Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/marcia-gay-harden-8656_education_its-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-real_103141.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/marcia-gay-harden-8656_education_its-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-real_103141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/marcia-gay-harden-8656_education_its-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-real_103141.jpg)

> “Its important that kids learn, but I really dont like all the testing, testing, testing.”

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Children benefit from education, yet excessive testing can undermine learning and cause stress.

**In simple terms:** Learning matters, but too many tests are harmful.

Key Takeaway

Balance instruction with reasonable assessment.

Themes

education assessment child development stress

Mood

concerned reflective

Type

opinion observation

When to use this quote

- classroom grading
- standardized test prep
- parent‑teacher meetings

Key Concepts

intrinsic motivation evaluation overload

Practical Applications

- design formative assessments
- limit high‑stakes exams

Questions to Reflect On

- How can schools measure progress without over‑testing?
- What alternatives to tests support deeper learning?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/)

## Related quotes

> [It's important that kids learn, but I really don't like all the testing, testing, testing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/it-s-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-really-don-t-like-all-the/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [It's definitely important for kids to learn in many different settings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/it-s-definitely-important-for-kids-to-learn-in-many-different-settings/)

[Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/)

> [What is important for kids to learn is that no matter how much money they have, earn, win, or inherit, they need to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-coloroso/what-is-important-for-kids-to-learn-is-that-no-matter-how-much-money/)

[Barbara Coloroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-coloroso/)

> [The big difference with the recognition is that when I go on an audition, I don't feel like they're testing my abilities as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-chlumsky/the-big-difference-with-the-recognition-is-that-when-i-go-on-an/)

[Anna Chlumsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-chlumsky/)

> [I just like testing myself. I just have that thing in me. Whatever it is that people tell me I can't do, I've gotta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gethard/i-just-like-testing-myself-i-just-have-that-thing-in-me-whatever-it/)

[Chris Gethard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gethard/)

> [I like to go on the course and hit different shots to see if I can thread it through everything on a tight course.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly-korda/i-like-to-go-on-the-course-and-hit-different-shots-to-see-if-i-can/)

[Nelly Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelly-korda/)

> [“If you allow yourself to learn who you really are by paying attention to that voice and force within you, then you can become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/if-you-allow-yourself-to-learn-who-you-really-are-by-paying-attention-2/)

[Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/)

> [I learn something not because I have to, but because I really want to. That's the same view I have for performing. I'm performing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/i-learn-something-not-because-i-have-to-but-because-i-really-want-to/)

[Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/)

> [If you love to read, you can learn anything you really want to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-love-to-read-you-can-learn-anything-you-really-want-to-know/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [We all learn from each other, and I never really hung out with guys in that way, so I missed out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-konitz/we-all-learn-from-each-other-and-i-never-really-hung-out-with-guys-in/)

[Lee Konitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-konitz/)

> [To learn something but not to do is really not to learn. To know something but not to do is really not to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/to-learn-something-but-not-to-do-is-really-not-to-learn-to-know/)

[Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/)

> [We must be trying to learn who we really are rather than trying to tell ourselves who we should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-must-be-trying-to-learn-who-we-really-are-rather-than-trying-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's actually a privilege to actually learn how to really dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sorrentino/it-s-actually-a-privilege-to-actually-learn-how-to-really-dance/)

[Michael Sorrentino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sorrentino/)

> [Live to learn and you will really learn to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/live-to-learn-and-you-will-really-learn-to-live/)

[John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/)

> [I had the chance to learn from some really talented people who have taught me a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-welteroth/i-had-the-chance-to-learn-from-some-really-talented-people-who-have/)

[Elaine Welteroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-welteroth/)

## More by Marcia Gay Harden

> [I think families should vacation together, and cruising is a wonderful option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/i-think-families-should-vacation-together-and-cruising-is-a-wonderful/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [In 2005, I had the great honor of playing Shailene Woodley's mother in 'Felicity: An American Girl Adventure.' I was immediately impressed by her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/in-2005-i-had-the-great-honor-of-playing-shailene-woodley-s-mother-in/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [The important thing is that when you correct your children, they see what they've done wrong and why you're upset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/the-important-thing-is-that-when-you-correct-your-children-they-see/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [I'm fortunate to have a team of people who help me. I've got an assistant, an office manager, a nanny - she's not full-time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/i-m-fortunate-to-have-a-team-of-people-who-help-me-i-ve-got-an/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [I loved playing Anne Bancroft, because she was so wonderfully arch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/i-loved-playing-anne-bancroft-because-she-was-so-wonderfully-arch/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [With any tween, you have issues, from what they are going to wear to school, to how do you get them to speak politely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/with-any-tween-you-have-issues-from-what-they-are-going-to-wear-to/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [So far, the thing I seem to have been rewarded for in film is leaving myself behind and transforming myself into other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/so-far-the-thing-i-seem-to-have-been-rewarded-for-in-film-is-leaving/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [You're over there in the corner either thinking about the dead dog or whatever, you're bringing up your personal life and you need the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/you-re-over-there-in-the-corner-either-thinking-about-the-dead-dog-or/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [I was always an exhibitionist. I liked it when everyone laughed. But I didn't do plays in high school. I was too nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/i-was-always-an-exhibitionist-i-liked-it-when-everyone-laughed-but-i/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [I'm not a big fan of mediocre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-mediocre/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [I played Laura Bush in a Tony Kushner piece, and afterward, I think my phones got tapped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/i-played-laura-bush-in-a-tony-kushner-piece-and-afterward-i-think-my/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [ I celebrated \[my 50th birthday\] by throwing a big bowl on the pottery wheel, then going for a water ski at the lake on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/i-celebrated-my-50th-birthday-by-throwing-a-big-bowl-on-the-pottery/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [The people who stood out in the Sandy Hook incident, the heroes, were the normal, ordinary people who went to save those children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/the-people-who-stood-out-in-the-sandy-hook-incident-the-heroes-were/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [I have a theory that there's almost this primal viewpoint on women in the business, that once you're beyond childbearing age, you are perceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/i-have-a-theory-that-there-s-almost-this-primal-viewpoint-on-women-in/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

> [I love it when ugliness is beautiful. I love character flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/i-love-it-when-ugliness-is-beautiful-i-love-character-flaws/)

[Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

[Explore all 79 Marcia Gay Harden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/)

## More Education quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/)

[Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/)

Ioannes Amos Commenius

> [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/)

H.D. (Hilda Doolittle

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

[Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Its important that kids learn, but I really dont like all the testing, testing, testing.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marcia Gay Harden"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/its-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-really-dont-like-all-the-testing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Education"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/its-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-really-dont-like-all-the-testing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/marcia-gay-harden-8656_education_its-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-real_103141.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/marcia-gay-harden-8656_education_its-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-real_103141.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6b/marcia-gay-harden-8656_education_its-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-real_103141.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Its important that kids learn, but I really dont like all the testing, testing, testing.” — Marcia Gay Harden",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Marcia Gay Harden",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Its important that kids learn, but...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/its-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-really-dont-like-all-the-testing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/its-important-that-kids-learn-but-i-really-dont-like-all-the-testing/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
