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solsc.2012: the testing scene 6/31

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In the quiet testing hour
stranded in a cramped desk
waiting anxiously to get started
quiet whispers all to rest . . . a-hem!

directions read word for word
"any questions?" it boldly quips
pages turning, pencils rapping
"ready to begin" says the script . . . a-okay!

feet swaying, shoes tapping
brains churning, thinking and more
scratching the head, tugging the hair
eyes wide open, mouths to the floor . . . a-ha!

eyes still sleepy, puffy red
sniffling noses, dripping too
coughing, sneezing all for tissues 
lingering stubborn winter . . . a-choo!

pencils scribbling, scrawling, scratching
all the work there is to do
pink nubs removing and erasing until
circles enclosed with a hopeful response that's true . . . a-yes!

shaking legs of uncertainty
raising the hand, nods of completion
sighs of relief - the test booklet turned in
one day done . . . a-men!



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Comments

  1. Katherine SokolowskiMarch 6, 2012 at 6:57 AM

    I start our ISATs today - two a day today, tomorrow, and Thursday. Field Trip Friday. Can't wait.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LynnMarch 6, 2012 at 7:24 AM

    Michelle,
    This is an awesome depiction of a testing day! Wow. . . and you ask how I do it???

    ReplyDelete
  3. Terje March 6, 2012 at 8:50 AM

    You have a poet's eye and brain. Testing is not a subject I would have thought in verse.

    ReplyDelete
  4. TaraMarch 6, 2012 at 8:56 AM

    I love the way you've turned the awfulness of testing season into material for poetry. Now that's positive thinking!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Deb DayMarch 6, 2012 at 9:35 AM

    Great job, MIchelle. Ours start in a couple of weeks--sooooo not looking forward to it. What I really liked was the "a-_____ " words at the ends of stanzas. Really brought the whole things together. But the words you chose for the rest are spot on. They really set the scene for us--great visuals

    ReplyDelete
  6. elsieMarch 6, 2012 at 12:34 PM

    You have captured each facet of that testing period. You are brilliant in snatching these small pieces and fashioning them into a creative poem. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  7. KatieMarch 6, 2012 at 4:53 PM

    I am right there with you. The math test they took was a beast! I love the a..hems and a...choos. Very cool.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JenniferMMarch 6, 2012 at 5:14 PM

    Wow, such a creative, vivid description of a "boring" event -- I never would have thought about writing a poem about testing! All your little details let me picture the room perfectly!

    ReplyDelete
  9. ChrisMarch 6, 2012 at 7:15 PM

    Isn't it funny how much you can notice when the kids are busy testing?
    My favorite line: "circles enclosed with a hopeful response that's true . . . a-yes!"
    :)
    Chris

    ReplyDelete
  10. CarolMarch 6, 2012 at 8:38 PM

    I think you were in my classroom today! Sounds just like what was going on in Denver!

    ReplyDelete
  11. hillyvanilleeMarch 6, 2012 at 10:58 PM

    This is a perfect description of what I did two weeks ago. Do your tests go through a script of teaching kids how to answer multiple choice questions? I always find it ironic since my folks have been taking these tests since the first grade.

    ReplyDelete
  12. CathyMarch 6, 2012 at 11:27 PM

    Michelle,
    Your poem captures the reality of testing. Often the kids are fighting their winter colds. "Feet swaying" reminds us how young these children are. I always wonder what they will say when they get older about their education and testing. I wonder if they'll remember that "knee shaking" feeling they experienced year after year.

    Cathy

    ReplyDelete

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