Method to My Madness

I don't know about anyone else here, but I have taught for an EOC oevery single semester of every single year I have taught. My first year I was expected to teach 70 seventh graders to pass a grade level EOC when only 47% of them had passed 6th grade math. Then, as when I moved to high school, I was put in the Algebra I spot. And since then, that's been my place. I love it, but I hate it.

I love to see the students push themselves to their highest capabilities in order to successfully jump through the hoop that our state makes them go through. I love to see the success they have as they grow from their previous year through their hard work.

But I hate seeing the pressure that these poor teenagers feel just for the sake of a test. I hate that when we took our first practice test today, most of my students left deflated and one even cried. I hate that this one test can make or break their grade that they worked so hard for through the entire semester.

But, through the past six years, I have developed a method (some think it is based in madness). My method takes my most hated parts of the test pressure and turns them around. This method involves three weeks of review - each ending with a practice test. So yes, this takes 15 days out of my teaching, but I feel that it is a great way to bind all of the information together while "training" the students on what the EOC asks of them.

So today is the worst day of this review period - the first practice test. I have been holding their hands all week long as we reviewed and today they had no assistance. So, of course it was hard. Of course it was a shock. Of course their scores were horrible. 

But, next week is confidence building week. We will work through the easier problems and make sure that we are all solid in our capabilities with those. So practice test two will go much smoother.

Then, by the end of week three the kids are so prepared they are sick of it. The third test goes swimmingly and they have full confidence in their abilities to ace the actual test during finals week.

Now this is no way is to say that all of my students pass. That is definitely not the case, nor can it be when you teach mostly low level students. But, growth occurs both academically and in mathematical confidence and that is what is most important to me.

So here's to the worst, most frustrating day of the semester. May next week be better and may confidence be built with each passing day!