If you asked me how I was doing Monday, chances are I would have replied, “I’m doing pretty well, thanks.” But that was not exactly the whole truth. Last Monday I was a nervous wreck, and I am sure I was not alone.
After months and months of preparing for AIMS it was finally here. And as I stood at the cross walk directing traffic, I couldn’t help but think that it was a true team effort. We rearranged student and teacher schedules, we held Saturday school, we hosted assemblies, opened up the computer labs, made up games, and practiced for this test through and through. You name it, we did it. It was not just the testing grades though, second grade teachers helped with AIMS school on the weekends, first grade teachers prepared their students for a cheer to encourage the testing grades, and to top things off they presented it flash mob style!
So, you must wonder then, why, if I truly believed we were so prepared, was I so nervous? Well, that’s easy. I was nervous that maybe the students would not have applied the strategies, or they would have forgotten what we’d practiced, or even worse, raced through the test.
That was Monday.
As AIMS concluded on Thursday afternoon, I was so beyond proud of our students. They were unstoppable. They gave 100% all week long. Their attitudes were positive, their work ethic strong, and their confidence radiated. They buzzed about how they applied strategies, and how they doubled checked their work, and when asked, they said it went well!
As a teacher or a parent, what more could you ask for?
I know I’m not alone, just about everyone on campus would agree that we work with a pretty amazing group of kids. …..And just about everyone would agree that we work with a pretty amazing group of adults too!
Nora Westphal
