Digital Photo Frame - Displaying Student Work - Phase IV
Comment on Alfred's FDG 2009 Day Three Post

TAKS Testing

TAKS Testing sucks.  We have to shut down the whole building for the majority of the day.  This year, the state is finally letting us do it right, and letting the babies who are not testing sleep in.

Some of our babies can't stay home -- and after their behavior I wouldn't let them stay home either -- but that's another story.

So as teachers, we have a lot of different jobs to do this week.  Some of us are monitoring tests -- something as a diabetic I can't do well.  First, my medical equipment beeps and on really bad days, lets off sirens.  Second, the stress is hard on my blood sugar.  I always end up having a bad diabetes day.  Some of us relieve the monitors, and they were able to pair us up this time, so again, that's hard on me and the kids.

Other duties include supervising the students who aren't testing.  That wasn't a bad gig yesterday, we've got the 9th graders in the auditorium and either the 10th graders or 11th graders in the boys gym. They scheduled a large group of teachers for both gigs and we were able to alternate every hour.

Right now, I have my favorite duty -- hall monitor.  My job is to sit in one spot and make sure no student goes by me.  It also seems my job is to remember which administrator went through and which direction they went.  I'm not real good at that as they move around a lot.

We're only on day two but it seems to be going well.  And we were told that our security couldn't have been better during the last time of testing.