TAKS Happenings

As my students sat diligently working on their TAKS exam, I simply sat and spent time watching. I hadn’t been watching very long when I decided to make a list of the different things I saw and post it here.

The Things I saw during the TAKS Test

· Kids working hard
· Pencils being flown around the test paper like a rocket ship.
· A girl whose vacant stare and sheepish grin told me she was miles away having a great time.
· A boy picking his nose, looking around the room to make sure nobody was watching, and then wiping a huge chunk of something under his desk.
· A fairly lengthy finger puppet play…complete with one hand actually talking to the other.
· Frightened eyes
· Several blank stares
· Some quite sneaky attempts at what I can only assume was designed to be some kind of sign language between two girls. Both of whom instantly snapped to attention and got back to work the moment I cleared my throat.

And of course…
· A girl, who the nose picking boy didn’t see watching, looking like she might become violently ill.

Questions I need answered...

How do you tactfully tell a parent that you feel their child needs to be tested for special education?

How do you help a child after you’ve called CPS twice, without any real results?

What do you say to a boy who gleefully announces to the whole class that he eats his boogers, and then proceeds to demonstrate?

What do you say to this same boy’s parents when they ask you why he doesn’t have any friends?

How can a male teacher tell a girl in his class that she needs to start wearing a bra?

How do you help a child care about school if her father died this year and her mother has cancer?

How can you help an overweight child like herself?