It will be interesting to me when we get our scores back from this year's students.
I had a come to Jesus conversation with myself over Christmas. I don't really care about test scores, but I want my kids to do well. Out first semester I felt incredible pressure to get my thirds test ready. Nothing they did was good enough. All I could see was what they'd weren't able to do. They were not nearly prepared as well as my group last year, and I felt the stress! I came back after the break with a new attitude. My kids were working hard, and I sure would not have wanted my own kids that stressed out at 8 or 9. I was able to lighten up, and began to enjoy my kids again. Enjoy what they were able to do, what they had learned.
I think that as teachers, we are going to have to fight hard to remember those things and insulate the kids from the testing pressures. They sure haven't done anything to deserve that, have they?
Poor kids. Poor us.