State Assessments

Yesterday and today were filled with state testing.  Yesterday was horrible, but today was better.  My job was oral administration for 7th grade Math yesterday and 7th grade Reading today.  This testing season has been the most stressful.  I don't think I've been this stressed about testing since I was in the classroom full time.  What non-educators do not understand is that we have very strict rules to follow.  If we do not, we can be written up or lose our teaching certification.  As an educator and adult, I can control what I do and say, and I follow the rules very closely.  However, I cannot control what a child decides to do.  We can say (all we want and until we are blue in the face) that there is no talking, at all, period, but that doesn't mean the child will keep his/her mouth shut and not do everything possible to signal to or disturb others.  We can move them, remind them, cue them, whatever, but in the end, I cannot control what another human being actually does.  Because of this, testing is extremely stressful.