Testing is over!!

Unlike Tuesday and Wednesday, today I did not have to administer a state standardized test!! The only people taking a test today were the fifth graders, who were taking the science TAKS. Third and fourth grade or allowed to resume their normal schedule, complete with outside recess and afternoon specials.

Yesterday was the reading test for fourth grade, so I was up in Ed U Cater's room monitoring the test, and he was down in my room teaching my students. After that experience, I have no doubt that he is anxiously anticipating next year, when he will have these kids ALL year long.

Throughout the course of this entire school year, my kids have frequently interrupted my teaching with statements that begin with, "Miss Credit told us," or "Miss Credit always said," or "Miss Credit used to..." Then they go on to inform me as to exactly what she told them or said or used to do. Quite often, what they're telling me they learned from their old teacher is EXACTLY what I'm telling them were doing at the time. I usually see Miss Credit on Fridays, and I tell her that her students from last year obviously retained a lot of what she taught them. I tell her this because it's a nice stroke of the teacher's ego to know that a) the students remember you, and b) the students remember what you said.

However, I sometimes find it very irritating.

Today, after experiencing the mystical phenomena that is Ed U Cater, several of the kids started in with statements of, "Mr. Cater said..." and so on. UUGGGGGGHHHHH!!!

I took a moment, looked each one of my students deep in the eye, and made this heartfelt entreaty: "All year long, you guys have been telling me what Miss Credit used to say, and now you're telling me what Mr. Cater says... I'm asking each and everyone of you right now, PLEASE, next year when you are in Mr. Cater's class, be sure to stop him frequently and tell him what Mister Teacher always does and says. Thank you."

So next year should be very interesting for ol' Ed.

In one other note related to this week's testing... During my 20 minute break yesterday, I saw Lump in the teacher's lounge with a teacher's assistant. Since he did not pass the reading test during the first administration, he was among the small group of third graders who had to take the retest yesterday. (Just to refresh everyone's memory, third graders get three attempts to pass this test, and if they don't pass it, they don't go to fourth grade.)

According to the teacher's assistant, Lump did not even attempt to read any of the passages or questions. He just started filling in bubbles randomly.

Lump is annoying, I do not enjoy having him in class at all, and he is headed down a horrible road in life. However, a small perverse side of me secretly hopes that he passed this reading test. Because if he did, then maybe we can hold this up as irrefutable proof that these standardized tests are ridiculously useless. If someone can obtain a passing score by randomly bubbling, maybe the state legislature will finally see fit to throw it out.