Three Good Things About Testing

And believe me, there are only three!

1. The school gives us enough pencils for every kid, and they're pre-sharpened.
2. The kids get snack so they're not hungry until lunch. (Well, for the first few days, they do, until the school inevitably runs out of money for this).
3. I can lock the door and no one comes in to tell me I'm off schedule or that I have no student work up.

The tests are dragging them down now. I got a note from one girl that said, "I hate the test so munch the test make people sad and mad that's why I hate test because there are answers that are really hard and stupid."

She didn't used to feel this way about tests. All the assessments taken up until this point; reading, math, spelling, etc. were seen as fun - she liked taking them, she usually did well, and she never freaked out. Today I had one child get sent home, three more whose mothers were called, and about seven more who got in some sort of trouble, and all of it started with the test. They feel stupid, they feel like they don't measure up, and their feelings are being reinforced.

Also, it's so LONG! The third graders will take a total of 10-14 hours, more or less, of this test! And they do this every year, with some grades (I know fourth, maybe sixth also) having more. It's spread out over 6 days, but the total time is longer than the SAT, MCAT, LSAT, GRE, or almost all the adult tests I can think of. The poor things can't sit still. "Lamar" took his test standing up because we had two parts today and after one, he just couldn't sit any more. One girl fell asleep on her test, and it has drool marks on it now. A couple other cried, and I think the test has tear marks.

I did get a nice note from the girl who hates the test "so munch." She wrote, "I love you and Tiger very munch because you are very nice to me in my heart."

Thank goodness for the gecko! When he comes out to watch them during the test, everyone relaxes a little.

Comments

House Dreams said…

And MUCH longer that the CBEST!

Thank the Lord for Tiger.
Bless all the children.

5:19 PM

Volunteers

I had some of the most overqualified volunteers ever in my third grade class. This may have had something to do with the fact that I shamelessly begged my friends to help in any way possible. I think there were a few friends who I asked to come as soon as I met them, before I was entirely sure of their names. Some of my volunteers included: -Someone with an MFA helping kids read -a PhD candidate in chemical engineering from Stanford helping with math -a PhD candidate in civil engineering from Cal helping with math -several PhD candidates in engineering from Cal teaching about construction (several years in a row) and helping with a field trip -my extremely talented brother bringing his drums several times -a friend from Pixar who got us tours three different years, once when they were no longer giving tours - and came to the class to sign the kids' toys from Cars . -a physical therapist (who I think has a masters') who helped the kids with reading -many athlet...

The Difference a School Makes

Update: 9/28/26: If you are reading this, the spoiler alert is that things got much harder for Jorge after this, and we kept in touch over the decades, even as he’s been incarcerated. He’s getting out of prison in early 2027 and I’m raising money to help him start his life fresh because everyone deserves second chances. Please take a look! Wow. I've talked before about the two kids that a friend and I mentor in a way. I'll call them Jorge (the older one) and Luis (the younger). I had Jorge in my class in third grade and he has had it rough. He's the oldest of six children and was born when his mother was 14. His mom is frequently in rehab or jail, although she seems to have been out for the last couple of years. If she's clean or not is anyone's guess. Jorge helped his grandmother raise Luis. He's always been super over-responsible, stressed out, and had way too many adult responsibilities. About a year ago, Jorge started to crack. He was 13, which isn't f...

Cinderella, retold (and much better)

A seventh-grade student rewrote Cinderella and I think it’s much better! The Dressmakers Once there was a girl named Cinderella whose mother died. Then her father married again, a woman who did not care for Cinderella. She only cared for her own daughters and her husband's fortune. Cinderella’s father made sure they were always fair to Cinderella but two years later, her father died. Cinderella was left alone with her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella was treated like a house maid but got no money for her work. She had to make the meals, iron the clothes and more. But on some things, like cleaning the windows and floor, Cinderella had to clean them five times per day or according to her stepmother, they will not shine as much as they should. Cinderella would often cry by a tree by her parents' graves. In that tree lived a little bird who Cinderella would talk with. She would talk to the bird about her stepmother’s many chores and little love for her, a...

Bronwyn Harris, Author

Search This Blog