Yesterday in the middle of a nice class I had one of those fear moments when I remembered I hadn’t tested them in a long time. I just can’t seem to be able to get myself to test them anymore.
Granted, I won’t be in this school next year, and so I don’t care, but all the same, that fear is there. Thirty eight years of fear.
So, to make the fear go away, I started a chant with my students:
Me: “Class! When is the last time we had a quiz?”
Them: “Eight weeks ago!”
Me: “Right!”
All of us, “Eight Weeks! Eight Weeks! Eight Weeks! Eight Weeks! Eight Weeks!”
Then I said, “But have you been learning French?”
They all yelled, “YEESSSSSS!”
I felt good to hear that response. I knew they were learning all along. I was looking in their eyes. I feel that doing that provided me with the most accurate data. The fear was gone.
I did receive an email from admin saying I had no grades in the book for any of my classes for April so I put some in. Complete fabrications. Please don’t tell anyone. Somebody might actually care.
I know I know. Not everyone is leaving a school this year and has to give tests. But maybe some day we will develop a way of evaluating kids that is not so stupid.
I do feel that there is a link between how much we are learning and the fact that we are not testing.