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The Testing Fairy

I wish there was a Testing Fairy, sort of like the Tooth Fairy. She (or he, I’m not sexist) would flit around the world and visit children in their sleep the night before important tests. Maybe adults too, now that I think about it.BookFairyBlueFINALpin

The Testing Fairy would serve two important functions. First, she (for the sake of argument, I’m going with a female fairy here) would impart last minute reminders to the test-taker, and second, she would provide the test-taker with a much needed boost of confidence.

I imagine right now she would be going to all the homes of the fourth graders in my school, slipping silently into their bedrooms for a late night visit. She would only need a moment to do her work, but she would be oh-so-effective. Never again would a child who knows how to multiply forget to put in a zero place holder. Gone would be the days of mixing up metaphors and similes. Writing a five paragraph essay would be as easy as breathing. And the real beauty of this system? The students would lose the anxiety and fear that often come with testing.

The Testing Fairy would spend just a nano-second to remind each one of all that they’ve learned and all that they know. She would assure them that they were good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like them (with apologies to Stuart Smalley). They wouldn’t base their self-worth on a test score, but they would still feel a sense of accomplishment in doing well. What a perfect situation that would be.

I really think I might be on to something here. If you happen to know any unemployed (or under-employed) fairies looking for a new line of work, please send them my way. Who wouldn’t want to help kids get through all those seemingly endless tests with grace and dignity? Any fairy worth her salt certainly would.


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Throwback Thursday – State Testing Edition

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My little fourth graders are doing their state assessment this week. I don’t want to get into too much detail about it, but needless to say I have some strong opinions about what they’re being asked to do. Long story short, the munchkins are working hard and I’m proud of them. Enough said.

So, this week of standardized testing made me flashback to some of my own testing experiences over the years, stretching all the way back to the second grade. That one was a doozy. We were doing some inane multiple choice fill in the bubble test and it was a BIG DEAL. Such a big deal that our desks were scattered all over the room, I guess to prevent us from cheating. Anyway, I finished early (which would become a pattern) and was sitting quietly waiting for the time to be called. I happened to have a tissue, and I folded it neatly into the shape of an envelope on my desk. I was feeling pretty clever. Alas, the student teacher (I will never forget her name, she scarred me) swooped down and grabbed my precious tissue envelope and threw it away, giving me a mean look. What? Did I skew the results of the test with that tissue? Wow.

My next big test memory occurred in my freshman year of high school. In those days the freshmen were still in junior high, and we had to sit for some end of the year state test. We were all housed together in this weird room behind the stage. It was the first and last time I ever sat foot in that room. To this day I have no idea what it was used for other than that test. Continue reading →


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What’s On Your To Do List?

105-362-5011The other day I was chatting with my neighbor and she was a little bit frazzled. She was trying to set up some holiday decorations in her yard, and she felt like she was “behind.” I reminded her that it was still November, but she wasn’t having it. She told me that she had a ton of things to get done before Christmas, so everything had to go according to plan, or it would all fall apart.

I felt badly for her. Here is was, not even December 1, and her plan was already coming apart at the seams. I asked if maybe there were some items on her list that weren’t as high priority, but she assured me that every single thing was critical. Yikes.

I leave that kind of high pressure stuff for my work life. There are things associated with work that I simply have no control over. The biggest one is testing. Another round is coming up soon, but I can’t worry about it. I teach my students the best way I know how, and hopefully they’ll do well on their tests. I can’t do more than my best, and I can’t do more for them than teach them and encourage them to do their best. The rest is up to them. Yes, part of my professional life rests in the hands of nine-year-olds. Do they feel like taking the test seriously or not? Did they get a good night’s sleep or not? Did they get yelled at on the way to school or not? Do they truly understand equivalent fractions or not? Did they read all the choices given or not? There are a lot of variables over which I have no control.

In terms of the home stuff, though, it’s up to me to decide what’s urgent or not. I had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner because that’s what we wanted to do. I put up lights because we agreed it would make our house look festive and welcoming. But I’m not going to make myself crazy over the holidays. No black Friday shopping for me, thanks anyway. In fact, I’m paring down my shopping considerably. I’d rather do things with my loved ones than spend money on stuff for them that they don’t really want or need.

And my “to do” list? Well, it’s not that long, but it’s been taking me a while to work through it. In fact I have two of them. One is the day to day stuff, like finish unpacking the final four boxes (from my move in July, yeah, I know) and one of them is the big stuff. That one’s on my bulletin board, and believe it or not I’ve been able to cross off a few items. I went to Hawaii, I got out of debt (aside from mortgage), and I switched schools. Oh, and the biggest item of all? I fell in love. Now that’s my kind of to do list.