The only thought in my mind during the entire month of May is why? Why does our school system feel that it’s a good idea to cram every possible test known to man in the last month of school?

 Honestly it makes no sense to me, like what goes through their heads? “ Hey you know what will really give these students a strong finish, 37 test the first week of May” When I said I want to finish the year with a bang, I meant like the feeling you get when you’ve finished nine months of grueling work and you’re finally free, not the feeling you get after being hit by a train.

 Allow me to break this down for you, the first week of May is the start of AP and STAAR testing, which means 37 tests in total, crammed into five days. Next week, all the same STAAR and AP tests come back for round two. Then the third week of May, “Oh finally, I can breathe ” Then fourth week rolls around “Sike” smack in the face with everyone’s favorite, Finals. 

 Students are missing classes left and right, which means they could be missing review sessions for finals, or getting unexcused absences because the substitute doesn’t know any better. Why is there a sub you may ask? Because teachers are missing classes constantly because they have to proctor these tests that apparently can, “test your knowledge”, “Your ability to learn”, and “can determine your future all together”.

Wanna know a secret? They’re lying. The only thing these standardized tests are truly good for is their ability to see if you can take a standardized test. They have no effect on your ability to graduate, what college you get into or whether you’re going to be successful in your future.

 So take a breath kid, you’re doing just fine. I know how crazy testing season is, but you’ve got this. Study ( if you really want to)  and do your best, because you’ll be fine, trust me.