High Stakes Testing-Off to the Races

And they're off! Our district has a mission...we'll be third in our DRG, a comparable sampling of districts rated according to socioeconomic factors.

Lordy, what a goal. Sorry, Spot. I don't mean to be disrespectful, really.

And as always, I am one faithful teacher. I'll do everything I can to get you over the bar.

But testing is just so...ummm, uncreative! There, it's out! Yesterday, I wrote all about how we're getting charged up and disguising any disdain at all, to really get you guys that last teaspoonful of knowledge that you'll need to do well on these tests. The truth? In a real society, we'd be looking at all the kids across our borders to insure their success. I don't mean to go all moral or anything, but what about those kids in our city schools that'll be happy to have a warm meal and two parents at home? If we're going to lift ourselves up as a society will we EVER start to make a difference there?

You guys have it made, Spot! You've got the gold without even putting your names on the page. Just like I told you after we finished the practice tests this morning..."It's a no-sweatsky!" And me? Well, weren't you just so proud of me for getting all those sticky CMT labels on straight?

Here's the good news, buddy...no homework for you for at least two weeks! I'm not kidding. Homework...1) Never before vacation. 2) Never during CMTs, 3) Never when the Mets/Jets win a big game! So, Spot? You can now sit back and enjoy the ride!

Listen Up!

Okay, Spot, here we go again. Remember Junie...you know, from last year? Charmed me all the way. She'd come in all 'What's happenin', Mrs. Lynch,' telling me all about her trips to church and stuff over the weekend. And now? I've got her male replacement! Her voice was going in my head for 183 days 24/7 last year.

Now...there's Jeeves...well, something like that. Comes in all ready to run to put that nose of his in his book, fixated to the point of tears on his snack every day (the snack he can never, ever seem to find). In the middle of class today, he has no homework for the second time this week.

Do I push it and face the melt down, Spot...or do I back-off and expect the same all year? Well, you know what I did...I pushed it, of course. And the meltdown? Well, I focused on what the Wellness Committee told me to do...I took a long, deep cleansing breath. And walked away. I went on with the lesson...and that stinker, Jeeves? He took out his pencil and proceeded to try to sneak a completion of that assignment in whilst I taught. He thought the homework alert would NOT go home. WRONG! There's no beating the homework police. EVER.