Teachers are experiencing a high degree of stress as testing season begins in schools around the country. Educators already have a lot on their plates, but testing means less content-driven time and more "let's prepare for the test" time. We devote time to teaching relaxing techniques, how to narrow down your responses, and how to manage your time.
Many evaluations now link student test scores to teacher performance ratings, complicating matters even further.
1. Children are much more than their exam scores. A standardized exam cannot capture all of these outstanding abilities. It does not demonstrate your children's creativity, charity, thinking, curiosity, patience, self-control, honesty, and other qualities. Standardized tests are only one way to assess a child's ability. They are not the sum total of education and learning.
2. Teachers are more than simply a number on a test! It's absurd to even have to write that, but with evaluations related to student assessments, we have to remember that our abilities as educators don't just come down to test results. Consider what a child's test score does not reveal about his or her teacher: motivation, love, compassion, firmness, organization, classroom management, optimism, encouragement, dependability, energy, and enthusiasm for learning.
3. Some children simply cannot perform well on standardized tests. Don't berate yourself for the youngster who can't sit still, can't focus, finishes in 4 minutes, or acts out to avoid testing. Some children, both with and without impairments, just cannot complete what a standardized test requires for a period of time, and it is not their fault. Should the test fit them rather than the other way around? For older children, some simply aren't inspired by the test, which isn't their fault. Yes, we want every student to do their best to demonstrate their knowledge. In the end, our children can only do what they can at the time. And that's fine.
4. Children remember their experiences, not the tests. Even though we all know and observe students who are worried out about testing, in most situations, they will forget about it years later. When we finish it, we'll know it's the end of the year.
5. After testing, you can REJOICE IN TEACHING. Consider completing enjoyable projects from the past or units that interest you and the kids. Make an ancestral family tree. Create your own theme park. Try a fun year-end time capsule activity. Anything enjoyable will suffice! Now that the testing pressure has subsided, continue teaching the way you enjoy.
