Hey everyone,

Welcome to the work week. Monday Monday, can't trust that day. Which is why I will NEVER name my son or daughter, "Monday."

Today my school gave a practice TAKS test. It was a math TAKS release. Tomorrow will be a reading TAKS release. I won't even go into the fuster-cluck that was the organization of this practice test. But the procedure itself is just extremely long and boring for us teachers. It's no doubt long and boring for the students as well, but at least they have something to do for that whole time. All we have is to stay vigilant and monitor.

Here's basically what my day looked like:

7:30 -- Pick up tests and iron out confusion with the test process.

7:50 -- Pick up my homeroom and tell them where to sit in our out-of-the-ordinary desk arrangement.

8:10 -- Take homeroom for a bathroom break to get that out of the way before the test starts.

8:30 -- Go upstairs to 5th grade hallway, to the classroom I would be monitoring.

8:35 -- Pass out tests and measurement charts.

8:45 -- Grudgingly allow one child to use the bathroom, wondering why he is having a "potty emergency" after just going to the bathroom at 8:10.

9:00 -- Ask 3 kids to focus on their tests instead of looking around the room every 10 seconds.

9:30 -- Take a picture of the little guinea pig in the classroom and wonder what HIS TAKS score would be like.

10:00 -- Pick up tests and pass out snacks for a break. Muffins were delivered to the rooms, but no water. I'm wondering why they didn't go with peanut butter.

10:10 -- Take class for another bathroom break. Speak the words, "Stop talking," about 25 times.

10:30 -- Notice that one kid is done with his test. Inform him that I will not pick it up until he shows how he got his answers.

11:00 -- Field the "What are millimeters?" question for the 3rd time.

11:30 -- Yes, student who so desperately wants me to think that you are actually checking your work, I DO see you deliberately counting on your fingers! Now stop looking back at me every 5 seconds to see if I am watching you!

11:45 -- Pick up the tests again and herd the kids out the door for lunch.

11:50-12:10 -- relaxing lunch break with other teachers in the lounge.

12:10 -- Pick kids up and take them for a bathroom break. I am handed proof that there has been little to no maturation in these kids since I had them in 3rd grade.

12:20 -- Resume testing

12:25 -- A child hands me a broken pencil and asks for a replacement.

12:25:04 -- Something causes about 12 pencils to spontaneously implode, and more replacements are necessary.

12:50 -- I accept the first test handed in.

12:51 -- I point out to one overachiever that he has spelled his name wrong on the test.

12:55 -- I accept the fifteenth test handed in.

1:46 -- One minute later than scheduled (??), the principal comes on the speaker to announce that the fruit is ready to be picked up in the cafeteria. She says this as though it is the most normal thing in the world, even though we usually do fruit on Fridays, and it is patently ridiculous to do it during a scheduled practice test.

2:05 -- The last child turns in his test.

2:07 -- The fruit of the day -- blueberries -- are passed out to the awe of some and the disgust of others. I mention that some people think that blueberries keep cancer away, and they are suddenly a lot more appealing to some kids. One other boy decides that he doesn't like the first bite, so he spits it back into the bag, rendering that bag spoiled for everyone else.

2:40 -- I turn in my Scantron forms and return to my homeroom.

So what is a practice test day like for YOU? Bet you didn't see INTERACTIVE MONDAY sneaking up on you, eh? :)

Or, if you don't practice this way, what are actual TEST days like for you? Other than major headaches, of course...

Tonight was parent-teacher conference night, and things were a bit hectic, to say the least.

Actually, it goes back to last week, when we were told that we needed to meet with EVERY parent within a 2-week window. 44 parents is a lot of parents to contact, set up a meeting with, and then actually meet with. It certainly cannot be done in 4 hours on one night, so we scheduled certain people for certain time slots.

In fact, it was a TA helping us by calling parents and scheduling them, so I really didn't know exactly who we were going to be meeting with tonight until just today.

But for the past 2 days, there have been announcements over the speaker saying, "Remember! It's parent-teacher conference night! We want to see you there! Bring your parents!!"

And kids saying, "HUH???" because we hadn't yet gotten ahold of their parents to schedule a conference!

At any rate, my partner and I met with 3 parents during our planning period and lunch (I wolfed down a tray of frito chili pie in ten minutes) and then 12 more this evening. We had to turn away 5 parents, scheduling them for a later date.

Only one of them seemed to take it harshly, saying she would not be back (but I think she was an aunt anyway, and we weren't really sure why she was there and not the mom or dad...).

Tomorrow, we are signed up for conferences till 5:00! On a Friday! Ughh....