Once again I'm lying in bed, contemplating the week's events, thanking and thinking. The kids had testing this week. Amazing, the only one with test anxiety was the one not taking the test - yes, yours truly. I fell back into FCAT strategy mumbo jumbo... talking about pacing and other things that have nothing to do with actual knowledge. My fear was that the kids would fall back into panic if there was material we hadn't covered. So imagine my surprise, pleasantly, when the kids bustled out of the site saying testing was - gasp - FUN.
Wait. You mean a year of not focusing on test taking strategies and robotic drill and practice actually contributed to more positive feelings about testing? Imagine that. Whatever will the Florida Board of Education do when (in a million years) they discover this?
I won't have scores for at least a month, but I rest assured that children that approach tests as personal challenge and not a socialist responsibilty to carry their school's reputation on their shoulders will, in the long run, score better. One can always think better without the weight of outside expectations weighing you down. So next year maybe I'll tell them to miss a few on purpose just for fun.
Only kidding.
Looking into the hills,
Acp
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