Something they don't warn you about in teacher ed... the pressure to get kids passing on standardized tests is insane. I'm in a constant state of stress and panic at school, and I think it's affecting my attitude towards the kids. My temper is shorter, I'm more impatient, and overall, I'm definitely a lot more strict on them. (Which may or may not be a good thing)
In the midst of it, God definitely keeps me from going insane by providing moments of levity. So since yesterday, the kids have started begging me to play tag w/ them (not sure why it randomly got started since I never did before). It was non-stop begging, and one of the girls literally grabbed my leg and wouldn't let go. Partly to get them to be quiet, I said OK and played w/ them for a couple minutes before the bell rescued me from showing how out of shape I had become.
When they asked if I would play tomorrow, I realized I finally had leverage on them to behave in class! For the past 2 days, the kids have been working hard. YES!
Today after recess, some of the girls asked me if I was married, and the conversation turned to how old I was. When I asked them what they thought, one responded, "38", another guessed "42", and one even guessed "58"! I had never been so blessed before. Apparently the long hair worked! I no longer looked like I was 18!
My kids are taking the Benchmarks (practice test for the real standardized test in 2 weeks). please pray that they all pass!
