What are we schooling for? (part 1)

photo by Darwin Bell (link below post)

Today is one of those days when you just want to grab someone by the shoulders and shake them, just to let it out. Ugh.

I met with Em in the morning, bright and early at 8:30 am, to do a little studying for some of the tests she has this week. What was conveyed to me as "a couple tests this week" via her text message apparently meant "a test on 2 full chapters in science which I haven't looked at at all, a social studies test and a math test. Starting at 10am today." 

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Not that she hadn't been studying. She'd been studying all weekend. But she only was informed of these upcoming tests Friday. Today is Tuesday. So, in essence, the school admin gave her 4 major tests in three difference subjects and expected her to be ready for them in 4 days. I don't think even the best students would have an easy time at that task, let alone a traumatized kid who's sitting at a so-so average or worse in each of her classes. So like a dummy I figured "oh yeah, we can do this, for science at least, no big deal" and into the material we plunged. 

Well, we didn't plunge very far. It became apparent to me that it would take alot longer than two hours to get even one chapter (circuits, voltage, current, resistance, ammeters, voltmeters, etc) down, let alone two. Which, in hindsight, should have been perfectly obvious from the start, but there you have it. My perpetual optimism. So it was on to plan B: I asked her to go to the administrator and tell him that there was no way she was going to be able to do her science tests today and do well. She pleaded her case brilliantly, and managed an extension of 2 days by agreeing to do the socials test on the spot. No word on how that went, but it buys science a little time, and the math test is now tba as well. 

So, the plan tomorrow is to meet her at 8:30 am again and make her bleed ohms, amps, and resistance. I'm bringing my war paint. This test is going down.

On to part 2 of the story...

(photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/darwinbell/)