Sorry for the not-so-brief trip down education politics boulevard. Well, I’m not all that sorry, to be honest. I dislike seeing people try to force action by spreading fear and half-truths, and I’m glad I have the platform to tell the story of what really happened at the PTA meeting I attended. If the district is upset, they only have themselves to blame – I wouldn’t have been at that meeting if it wasn’t for the transportation issue.
And now it seems I’ve unintentionally positioned myself as part of a mini-revolution against the school district’s status quo policy of spending more to get the same results. People are saying I should run for school board. They clearly don’t know just how unorganized I am.
I never thought my post would be shared as much as it has been. Thank you, Columbus, for taking notice and agreeing that our kids deserve better. If/when the levy fails, I hope you’ll all stay just as mobilized to demand better from our school leaders.
Also, quick shout-out to a group of parent volunteers who set up the website It’s Okay to Vote No. I’ve helped them with this project (mostly helping them get the site up & organized), and will continue lending a little of my time when I can to write for them. Locals, go check them out. Right now it looks like they’re the WikiLeaks of the school district.
Moving on.
Because of this school drama, I completely forgot to let everyone know how Cordy did last week on her state testing! We don’t have the results yet, of course, and really the score results don’t matter as much as the results of how she did taking the test.
Despite the stress, despite her anxiety, she went to school that day ready to take the test. Her teachers told us that she seemed anxious when she got there, and they tried to relax her as best they could. She had her special needs teacher with her during the testing period, and her teacher gave her glittery pencils to use for the test. Cordy loves anything that glitters or is shiny, and apparently she calmed down quickly once they explained the schedule wasn’t going to be all that different from her usual class day.
All of our interventions ahead of time worked. Teachers and parents together, downplaying the stress involved, reminding her that there’s no score she has to beat on the test, asking her only to focus and do her best – it all worked. Her teacher reported that once the test began, she was focused and worked very hard.
Because of her IEP, she has the option of taking frequent breaks between sections of the test. I wasn’t sure if she’d take advantage of those breaks to not let the test get to her or if she’d forget. She was reminded that she had breaks available to use, but we were told that she chose to keep going as she finished each section.
The third grade OAA test is two and a half hours long. Cordy finished in just under 45 minutes. Seriously, less than 45 minutes for a two and a half hour test! That’s my girl, racing to the finish line just like I did as a kid, as if finishing before everyone else earns you additional points.
When I was told how quickly she finished, I confessed that I was worried that she didn’t read the questions fully. Her teacher, who sat right with her for the test, reassured me that Cordy was carefully checking her work and, she suspects, did very well on the test. We’ll know for sure when the results are released next month.
Of course, finishing the test early meant that Cordy got to have some free reading time, which is the best reward you could ever give her. And after that she got to watch part of a movie, too. When I got the full report at the end of the day, Cordy told me how AWESOME (all caps for her emphasis) the day was, and how she loves taking tests if she gets free reading time and movies after each test.
I’m incredibly proud of her for overcoming her anxiety so she could focus and do well on her OAA exam. It sounds like she aced the test, and no matter the score, she gained greater control over her anxiety that will hopefully carry forward to future schoolwork. That’s a win for me.
