DeadpanAnn (old blogger version)

This week has sucked. There was district testing yesterday and today, and there will be more tomorrow. They give the kids a practice version of the state test in October and I guess they compare it to the scores at the end of the year. Maybe they just do this to torture us for all I know.

Anyway, district testing means that you get your fourth period class at 8:30 in the morning. They test until everyone's done-- around 10:30, which is near the beginning of 3rd period-- but they don't ring the bell and send them on to 3rd period. That would be good, since I'm off third period. Noooooo. Instead, they just make us hold them. Actually, what they do is pretend that there are still students testing somewhere on campus, so we have to stay in "test mode," but everyone thinks that's horse shit. Where are these extraordinarily slow testers? Oh, wait, I taught them last year. They do exist. Nevermind.

Anyway, fourth period starts at 11:20, and they come over the intercom and say, "We will now resume our regular schedule!" They say it with enthusiasm, like something's changing, like you're finally free, like you can now move forward into better, more exciting things. But in the trenches classrooms, the kids look up at the teacher with a cautious hope in their eyes, and then someone says, "What period is this?" And I have to say, "This is the beginning of fourth," and then they all groan really, really loudly as it sinks in that they're stuck there for another hour. I momentarily consider faking contractions so I can leave, then go back to looking for ways to waste another hour without killing any one of the 25 children who've been wearing on my nerves since 8:30.

So yeah. I'm 2 days into a 3 day tour of District-testingville. Brutal.

Friday's my last day. I can't wait. I don't even have to go the full day on Friday because my doctor's appointment is at 9:10, and I don't go in until after the appointment. I'm having an ultrasound, so I'm hoping it takes forrrrreeeevvvvvveerrrrrrrrr and I can miss about half the day. That would rock.

I started out this school year with a strong Dedicated Teacher thing going. Sadly, it's been weakened by never ending heartburn, swollen feet, and backaches from hell. Oh, and there was that meeting with the principal where he basically laid all the students' failures at my feet and drilled me for ten minutes about what I was doing about it, and found problems with everything I said even though I'd clearly been doing more for the students than the students were doing for the students. Not cool, and not exactly what you'd think they'd want to do to teachers who are honestly trying to do everything right. That one event took a giant bite out of my Dedicated Teacher vibe. They should think about morale more before they beat us over the head without regard for what we're doing right.

As for my dedication and giveadamn, maybe it'll somehow get revived between now and the time I return from maternity leave. Or maybe I'll be so desperate to escape the house that work actually sounds like fun.