The Horror

Testing all week.  If it's not one test, it's another test.  Then after that, guess what?  It's another test.  In the midst of this nightmare of a week, I did get to hold this leopard gecko called Cheetoh.  And I had some good conversations with some kiddos.  After I hear kids read certain books, I'm supposed to ask literal, inferential, critical and creative questions.  I can make these up myself, thanks be to GOD!  After the Meet My Family book, I asked a sweet boy if he thought it was important for families to spend time together.  He said, "Yes, because it's how you get more loving.  You see each other and you share your love and your loving gets bigger and bigger."  Full points for that answer, obviously.  I asked another kiddo the same question.  This kiddo is a handful and he spends much of every day doing exactly the opposite of what we ask him to do.  He replied, "Yes, but my family just yells at me.  That's all that happens every day.  They yell and they yell and they yell.  Everyone yells at me.  They don't know that I'm trying to put together some good days here!'  As yet, I've seen no real evidence that the kid is trying to put together anything that comes close to goodness, but maybe he's just doing his best, and his best kind of sucks, in general terms. Obviously the kid deserves full points for that answer as well.

 Thanks to standardized testing, I was able to feel renewed empathy for this little kiddo. (HOORAH FOR STANDARDIZED TESTING!)   6 more school days til spring break.  Not sure I'm going to make it, my friends.  Teetering on the edge.  Light a candle for me, if you do that kind of thing.