On the Bright Side: We Learned About That

STAR testing is nearly over at my school site. We've been taking it slow, only testing in the morning, giving adequate time for the students to work on their tests, and offering encouragement the whole way.

I never imagined that the rough and tumble junior high students who half-heartedly greeted me in September would ever be able to sit still for half an hour, much less concentrate for that long. They've impressed me. The same students who walk an entire circuit of the classroom to get a pencil (and smack a friend in the head on the way) are economical with their time now, planning bathroom visits and drinks so as not to interfere with "The Test."

Kids, who I swear have never heard anything I say, can all of a sudden remember stories that I shared in order to explain a biblical allusion in one of our novels. After the test, one came running up to me, "Ms. D, Ms. D. That guy, the one who took the slaves from Egypt, I remember him. Moses, right? I remember you telling us about that."

One of my 8th graders grinned from ear to ear in triumph, "Ms. D, they had a question about the Magna Carta. Isn't that crazy? We learned about that."

Yup, we learned about that.