Surprise....

I've been having a bad week...every day so far has been a Monday, if you know what I mean! The TAKS test is next week and I've been trying to get all of tests ready and try to make sure I have the right test for the right kid and I've had to change the testing schedule at least 5 times because this teacher or that teacher wants to give this test or has to be gone or SOMETHING!! I've been trying really hard to make everyone happy, but it is stressing me out!!

Not only this, but I'm trying to get these seniors to get their scholarhips in and they don't want to. They have senioritis!! But their parents want them to, so they call me and ask about them. And then the JH kids are wild and crazy and cannot get along to save their lives!!! Monday morning a senior student who has only 5 more weeks before graduation tells me that he failed algebra 2 last year and is not taking it this year!! He wants to know if he needs it to gradutate!!! DUH!!! Of course you have to have it!! So he almost gave me a heart attack, but we did figure out a solution after a couple of hours!! Why don't kids take care of business?????

Today, I was just about to make my escape home when I was called to the office for a major incident, so I had to stay late. This was only one of many incidences this week. High school is a soap opera!!

So now for the surprise...I was eating lunch today and this lady that I didn't know found me and handed me this big basket full of goodies. She is a counselor from region 9 and wanted to tell me that I'm doing a good job and she appreciates all I do for the kids!! That was very nice and I was very surprised! It was just want I needed at just the right time. It's always good to hear that you are appreciated, so go tell someone they are!!

Things

I'm sitting here in my office in the JH building. We are all locked down because the 8th graders are testing in this building. It's just 2 teachers, the 8th graders and me. It's very quiet!! No one is allowed in this building today, except for us!!

Last week was a crazy week....but aren't they all??? Lynsi got sick with pneumonia and was in the hospital for 3 days. I had her 3 kids, which I don't mind at all....it's just that I'm too old to get 3 kids and me ready for school!! Tony actually did it the first day and then I did it on Thursday and Friday. They were really good, but it's hectic getting all of their folders signed, their picture money ready, making sure their homework is in their folder and feeding them breakfast...of course they all want something different. I sure admire parents of school age children who work....especially single parents....Lynsi does this everyday!!!

At school it's also been crazy this week. We have had some trouble with some very offensive things on kids cell phones at school. I can't go into the details, but if you have a teenager, or a pre-teen, I suggest that you check your child's phone once in a while. Other people can send forwards to their phone and if they get caught with the offensive material on their phones, they can be in big trouble. It's horrible what some people send to kids' phones and then of course those kids will send it on to their friends. If you have watched the news lately, there's something known as 'sexting' that kids do these days. They send pictures of themselves with nothing on to their boyfriends or girlfriends, who in turn send them to other kids and put them on the internet. It's a very serious problem. Don't think that your kids are immune to stuff like that. From what I've seen this week alone....anyone can do it and will do it. There are cases in the news about kids being arrested for this kind of thing. It's considered child pornograhy.


I'm on the entertainment committee in Childress. We do all of the 4th of July stuff in the park, have a 4th of July pageant, and do a talent show in the fall. During Easter, we have what is called a Tiny Tot Revue. It's a little fun pageant for boys and girls from newborn to age 6. It's a way to show off their Easter clothes and let everyone see how darling your child is!! And they all are precious. We do give prizes to one boy and one girl in each catergory, except for the babies......you can't judge babies.....they are all cute!! They use to do this in Wellington and they did it for over 20 years, but it was turned over to other people and it finally fizzled out, so we decided to try it here. It's been successful so far. This is our 4th year to do it. If you know someone with little kids, tell them about this or if you just like to see cute kids, then come and watch. We will also have entertainment between groups. It's Sat. at 6:30 in the JH auditorium. If you want to enter someone, go to Fantastic Footwear or Deanna's Cuttin' Up cottage and pick up a form. We will take entries until Friday.

Here are a few of the contestants from last year. Aren't they cute!!


Here are the entertainers from last year!

Four-letter Word

If you have anything to do with the school system in Texas, then you know what four-letter word I'm talking about....although it's actually not a word......but yes, it's TAKS. The first round is tomorrow.....TAKS Tuesday. Grades 3, 5, 8, 9 will be taking reading, grades 4 and 7 will be taking writing and grades 10, and 11 and those 12 graders who have not passed yet, will be taking ELA. You have to pass the 11th grade test in four subjects before you can receive a high school diploma. No pressure there!! You also have to pass 3rd grade reading, 5th and 8th grade math and reading before you can move on to the next grade. It's very stressful for these students. They will have 2 other times to try and pass it if they don't the first time.

A lot of people who do not work in the school system think that on TAKS day, the teachers hand out a test and a pencil to every student, then take them up at the end of the day and that's all there is to it Let me assure you, there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes that you may not know about.

At my school I'm the district testing coordinator....lucky me!! My job is to make sure every student is taking the right test, I have to train the teachers on how to give the test, and I have to make sure that we have the right security measures in place...just to name of few of my duties. There is not just one TAKS test...there are several. The regular TAKS, the TAKS-accomodated, the TAKS- modified,the TAKS-Alt. and the Dyslexia bundle. There is also the TELPAS and the LAT. As testing coordinator, I have to be trained in all of these tests so that I can train the teachers. There are students that have to have individual administrations, oral administraions, or small group adminitrations.

The teachers that give these tests are under a lot of pressure. If the kids don't perform well, then it's their fault!! They have been preparing their students since the beginning of school. They have to go to trainings as well and they have to sign more than one oath stating that they will abide by all of the rules and regulations and that they won't help the students with the content, that they won't look at the test before, during or after the administration. If any of these things happen, they can lose their certificates. Luckily that doesn't happen often....and not hardly ever around here. Our teachers.....at my school and in my home town....are very professional and do a great job of preparing and administering the tests.

If you know a teacher, let her/him know that you appreciate what they do. Give them a pat on the back or a word of encouragement.....they will really need it this week!!