West Cocoa Chat

As I said in an earlier entry, I am now completing my 25th year teaching middle school math. I have had many memorable moments that I wish I had written down in some kind of a journal. The good ones are still in my memory but I had something happen today in one of my classes that is a first for me.

My Pre-Algebra students are taking their first test of the year. As with any first time event that takes place in my classroom (and due to the fact that I’m somewhat anal) I try to give numerous details so as to set the tone for the rest of the year. This first test was no exception. Some of those details would have been:
1. On Monday, students wrote “Test” in their agendas for Thursday.
2. I posted the same on our school website.
3. Students took notes throughout the week on the concepts that would be tested.
4. The homework covered the type of problems that would appear on the test.
5. Each “Problem of the Day” (P.O.D.) at the beginning of each class came from one of the tested concepts.
6. On the day of the test I gave my students a multi-part “P.O.D.” that contained problems like the ones that would appear on the test.
7. On the day of the test I told my students that the “review homework” we were going over at the beginning of class would help them with problems that would appear on the test.
8. As I passed out my test materials I explained my testing procedure.

Is that enough detail? I would have thought so. Anyway, as the test was under way I noticed that “Johnny” (names have been changed to protect the ignorant, I mean innocent) was sitting in the idle mode with seemingly no cares in the world. I walked over to “Johnny” and asked him why he wasn’t working on the test? He looked at me with a surprised look and asked, “Does this count for a grade?”

Kids, you’ve got to love them.