Over the Moon

I am, just as the title says, over the moon. I just finished testing my 4th period for their third and final benchmark before the EOG, and what I saw was absolutely fantastic. It would have brought tears to my eyes, but I decided I wasn't quite ready for my kids to see me that vulnerable--maybe when they pass the EOG. Nevertheless, it was sheer beauty.

Let me give you some background. As I may have mentioned before, our county is in desperate times right now. The state has pretty much told us it's "now or never" in regards to raising our test scores, the "never" part meaning our principal and many staff members would be out of jobs. Our last benchmark testing period, my classes grew on average less than two points--not nearly enough to get them where they need to be or show the state that I'm doing my job. I was really disappointed, but decided that this time around, I would create a hype around the test so that the kids would feel ready for it, even if there were some learning gaps. After all, the mental part is half the battle, right?

I've been nurturing this idea of my 7th graders as "butt-kickers" for a couple of weeks now. We've learned butt-kicking strategies to increase our scores without even doing any extra math (process of elimination, plugging in our answer choices, etc.), and spent hours practicing EOG problems under the guise of getting our "butt-kicking license". I will admit my fourth period was by far the most invested in the idea. They came to class asking to do some butt-kicking (which really meant they were asking for EOG problems--what?!). Students who missed part of a class period for picture day were expressing disappointment at not getting their BKL (butt-kicking license). They were proud of their hard work because someone was finally praising them as the best at something, rather than the honors class. And truthfully, they were by far the best "butt-kickers". Needless to say, I've been so excited for this class in particular to take their benchmarks, so they could finally see all their hard work paying off. I had them set goals, write them on an index card, and keep them out during the test so they knew what they were shooting for. There is, of course, the inevitable seed of doubt that crept into my mind, and the fear that if they don't do as well as they hoped that they would totally lose faith in all that we've been doing. I wasn't doubting the kids, necessarily; I was more worried about whether or not I've taught them enough to succeed on this test.

As we filed into the computer lab this morning, the realization set in that this was it; it was now or never for these kids, and for the amount of trust I had gained from them. I had played the song "World's Greatest" as they walked into my classroom, which had mistakenly gotten them a little too enthusiastic about the test and cause quite a bit of chaos as they tried to find computers. I started barking orders at kids, fussing at them, and running around like a crazy woman--not the kind of model they needed right before such an important test.

And then, it happened. All of a sudden, a hush fell over the room, and every student was working furiously on their test. I forgot to pass out their goal cards, and a student reminded me by writing her goal at the top of her scratch paper and holding it up for me to see. I was waiting, just waiting, for the first person to finish, for a little bit of reassurance that they could do it, that we could do it. And there was the first hand--S.W., with her friend C.M. waving me over frantically. "MISS H! S. is done, and she did really good!" S.W. is the lowest math student I teach--she's 15 and in the 7th grade--and I'll admit I was a little afraid to see her score. But lo and behold, she had done it--not only had she reached the goal she set herself, she passed it! While she's still not on 7th grade level, she's 10 points closer than she was last time. And here's the best part: I had made a poster for my students to sign if they met their goal and/or met the 7th grade goal. When S.W. went up to sign the poster first, the class started clapping! To see them being supportive of each other and motivated by one another was what I honestly imagine is every teacher's dream.

The rest of the students began to follow, and with each goal met, I did a little victory dance at the front of the room and had the successful student sign the poster. Before long, everyone was itching to get their name on the poster, and they knew that meant working harder, not faster. It took over 2 hours, but by the time the last students finished, I had 17 names on my poster. And the growth they made was significant. It wasn't just one or two points. Some had as many as 12 points growth. I couldn't even stand it; I was dancing and cheering and jumping.

The best part was seeing how genuinely excited the kids were. They bounced in their seats as they waved me over when they knew they reached their goal. They hyped it up by covering their score with their hands and revealing it to me in true "Ta da!" fashion when I ran excitedly their way. They fist-pumped their way to the poster and signed their names proudly. They told their friends, their teachers, and I'm certain their parents. There was such a sense of accomplishment and pride in the room that I was ready to burst, and so were they.

At lunch that afternoon, my homeroom called me over and one girl asked, "Miss H, when are we going to take our test? I'm ready to kick some butt!" The excitement is contagious, and that only makes my job easier.

Now that I've practically written a book....let's let a picture give you even a tiny bit of an idea of the excitement:

Thanks for following, and thanks for believing in me and my kids. We're on our way!