Skip to main content

solsc.2012: the testing scene 6/31

Join the challenge and write!
Slice of Life Stories hosted by the

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!



Click on the buttons to return to the TWT blog.

Comments

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

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

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

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

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

    ReplyDelete
  11. 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. 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

Post a Comment

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Popular posts from this blog

{40 reasons} #sol15

Slice of Life  hosted  at the Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life. _____________________________________________________ Today my husband celebrates a big, BIG birthday -- and I'm so lucky and thankful to have spent  the last sixteen years learning about everything that he loves the last (almost) twelve years learning about everything that I love about him the last (almost) five years learning with my daughters why we love our Daddy. Created at canva.com _____________________________________________________ Happy, happy 40th birthday Jon!

An Interview with Educator/Momma/Writer Ruth Ayres Celebrating #EnticingWriters + Giveaway!

I love sharing book titles with close friends, so I'm happy you are here! I want to share a book that you must add to your to-be-read list. Ruth Ayres has a brand new book titled  Enticing Hard-To-Reach Writers   published by Stenhouse Publishers. It's another must read from Ruth. There are many professional development books available to learn about mastering our craft of teaching.   However, there are only a few that make a true impact -- and this is one book that weaves raw truth, research, practical ideas, and story all in one {cute} little package.  In  Enticing Hard-To-Reach Writers , Ruth allows her worlds to collide during the creation:  "In this book, I entwine my three story lines as educator, momma, and writer." (p. 6) And she does this in an amazing way through sharing stories of her family, adoption, children living in hard places -- and doing their best  -- and healing. She shares how we can use research to understand how to

{#sol15} 10 Tips for the Challenge

Slice of Life  hosted  at the Two Writing Teachers Join in and share a slice of your life. Last Saturday morning, I didn't need to wake up early.  I wanted to go back to sleep.  But instead my brain was awake and thinking.  Creating this list.  Writing this post.   Many of us are embarking on an adventure - the Slice of Life Story Challenge.  Writing, sharing, and commenting for thirty-one days in March. Want to learn more about the SOLSC?  Check out Stacey's post {HERE} about the challenge hosted by the "Fab Six" over at the Two Writing Teachers ' blog.   I hope you find these tips for the challenge helpful whether you are a first-time slicer (cue confetti!) or a year five slicer like me. 1. Before the challenge