Finding Motivation Before Standardized Testing

Last week before spring break was a struggle. I found myself frustrated more, students had a difficult time staying on task. They were not "bad" by any means, but just ready for a break. I knew I was too and I thought the break would help me get back into the swing of things, but as I started planning for review, thinking about testing and really focusing on test taking, I realized I was dreading coming back to work.

I love my job. Teaching is a calling for me. It's something I always knew I wanted to do and I can't imagine myself doing anything else. Yet, I found myself dreading going back and thinking about all other career options where I could still work with kids and not worry about standardized testing. Then I realized, I am dreading going back to work because I am not having fun in my classroom anymore. If I am not having fun, my students are not having fun. So I had to really reflect. 

Here is what I came up with. My students and I have been working hard all year long on curriculum closely aligned to NC standards. I teach to the standards. I make sure we cover everything, but we've been able to do daily hands on activities, laugh together, explore, integrate technology, and truly enjoy learning. We've done this together all year long so why would this be any different now that I only have less than two months with my students? The answer is simple, it will not be. 

This year my strategy to prepare for testing is teaching. It is not teaching to the test. It is teaching to the standards, to mastery, to understanding and when that's there, they will perform to their best ability on the test. These tests are boring enough. I shouldn't be making review boring on top of it.

So I will pull every tool out of my tool box for the next month to finish teaching the standards, continue with projects, and make review fun, leveled, truly student-centered. At the end of the day, the pressure is there, but I teach students not the test. So when they take the test, I want them to be proud of all the work they have done. I want them to know how smart they are regardless of how they do on this one measure of assessment and most importantly I want them to know that their hard work matters, learning matters,  and they are appreciated and cared about.

This school year I have been blessed with an amazing group of students. They are funny. They are witty. They love learning and just like they learn from me, I've learned from them every day. I am going to miss this group of kids so much when they get ready for 5th grade, but for now I have another month and a half and I will make the most of every day instead of letting the stress of testing effect them or me. 

For the next month and a half we will continue to learn, do projects, explore, and when it comes to review we will have fun. I am getting my scavenger hunts ready, pulling out math jeopardy, looking for hands on manipulatives and anything I can use that will continue to make learning authentic and will not make it tedious . So here's a question to you, what do you use to make this last month count? How do you review? How do you make memories? What's your plan? 

Sincerely,

A Motivated Teacher Who Just Found Her Second Wind