Wednesday, March 03, 2004

Two extremely important events occured today.

1. The students practice End of Grade (high-stakes monster test) test scores came in and were very low.

2. The microwave was taken out of the cafeteria.

One event completely overshadowed the other. Can you guess which one was talked about the most?

During the very long and depressing meeting where we were told how much work we had to do in order to get our kids to pass these tests, I could barely hear the testing specialist due to all of the teachers around me angrily whispering about the absent microwave.

I had been hearing tales of this microwave all day. I received three phone calls (during class, I might add) about it. I had heard no fewer than five versions of the incident. In one version, the vice-principal, in a fit of neat-freak madness, ripped the microwave out of the wall, proclaiming, "If you won't clean it-- you can't have it!" as she stormed away with it. In another version, the aforementioned vice-pricipal had to muscle her way through a throng of children illicitly using the "adults only" microwave to heat up her Budget Gourmet dinner and decided if the students were using it, it had to go.

I don't know what the truth is. What I do know is that none of the teachers around me seemed very concerned at all with the scores from this test. What I can also gather is that the ability to heat one's lunch is considered a right-- not a priviledge-- at my middle-school.

As for me, the fact that we even had a microwave in the cafeteria had escaped me, so I didn't feel its loss. And secondly, I am completely freaked out by the daunting task of getting my kids ready for this test. ¶ 1:06 PM