Well Hello Monday

I ended last week with a bit of a temper tantrum.  OK, who and I kidding.  I threw a huge temper tantrum on Friday morning that made some of Emerson’s pale in comparison.  What about you may wonder… I did not want to go to work.  I had enough of running around, getting up early, bureaucracy, begging for attention from those who have used up all of their attention and will power, issuing of pilot standardize test, learning about giving more standardize test, and just plain old missing my boys and the garden. 

But, thank goodness for the weekend.  I would say “Bring it on Monday!”  But, I distinctly remember a presidential figure saying that not too long ago and the results were not that great.  So, instead I will say “Monday, I am ready for you and what you have to offer.” 

I know I am going into 5 days of back-to-back standardize testing (really 4 this week and one on Monday of next week.)  I am prepared to let my students know that they are wonderful, creative, and capable and have loads to offer the world, despite how these test categorize them.  I know that highly successful people (not in academia) who have toughed the importance and value to these test as an indicator of their very successes, but when asked to take the test, they bombed them.   I know that these test are designed by educators, for educators and used to see how good kids are at being educated.  That is great, but we are educating them to become members of the world and this I will remind them of with a simple phrase that I am permitted to say “do the best you can..” 

To the test, I tell you, I will follow your rules, read the script without enthusiasm and I refuse to allow you to crush my spirit or the spirit of my students.  We will have our pencils ready, technology gone, and a creativity and divergent thinking stashed.  See you will be gone in 5 days and we will still be here.  Of course until your numbers arrive and strive to box in my students.  But I say to you, you are paper and we are scissors.  So there….

To my waist line and my jeans:  I say to you, the diet is on and I am ready to be strong.  I am armed with cheese sticks, and toasted pecans, and a cup of no sugar yogurt for the staff meeting that will have lots of forbidden food.  I will no longer carry the pounds of stress eating, that wear me down psychologically and physiologically. 

So, here is to you Monday.  We can work together and I am offering you this declaration, with a few compromises thrown in so let us make the best of our time together as we go forward and onward.