Praxis 0310

I took the praxis this morning. The School Library praxis. Maddie took it a month or so ago and had a nightmare. Her knees bother her. The test location was moved--uphill and upstairs and with no warning or sign posted at the stated exam site. The parking was in the hinterlands. She got lost going back to her car. Folks are supposed to report at 7:30a and start testing at 8:00. Her test was substantially delayed. All in all, it was a long, grim morning. Good news is, she passed. But of course, she didn't know that for a month. All she knew then was that it had been a very rough morning.

I took Friday off work to rest and catch my breath. This is the second week of working four 10-hour days. Last Friday, I spent at Lufkin Middle School--the subject of my next post. It was a lovely day, but a hellacious week. One of my co-workers observed that there was no time to unwind in the evenings and she was sleeping poorly. Me, too, in spades. So I took Friday off. I puttered and reviewed my notecards. I tucked myself in at a decent hour and was just drifting off. My kids are volunteering at a local church camp. At 11:15p, my daughter called to wish me luck. I was so startled by the phone (but deeply touched by the gesture, Jessie) that I couldn't get back to sleep. At 5a I was up to be in Durham by 7:30a. Educational Testing Service, despite getting my credit card number and billing address correct to the tune of $150, could not give a correct address for the building where the test was being given. After a couple of wrong turns on the way, I discovered that the test site was three blocks from the address given and parking was at a premium. Afraid of being late, I ditched the car in a reserved spot and dashed to the building.

This was not the test site that Maddie had used. I was on the campus of NC Central and they were wonderfully organized. There was a greeter to answer questions, rooms were clearly marked, and our proctors were on top of things and got us started on time. Maddie had loaned me her copy of the state IMPACT guidelines and I'd read Information Power for class this term. And I'd bought a couple of review books, so I felt well prepared. What I was not prepared for was how much age and sleeplessness had affected my ability to concentrate during testing.

I've been an online student since 2000, but evaluation has been through either papers and projects, or open book exams. I haven't taken a timed standardized test in YEARS (one reason I chose ECU was that they would not require the GRE again since I already had a masters!). Years. It's a 120 question, two hour test. About question 45 I began to wonder if I'd make it through. The questions were complex and subtle and I was having trouble taking all the details in and remembering why they mattered. And then I discovered that my #2 pencils were SO old (who uses these anymore?!) that the erasers were hard and wouldn't erase. But I got done with 10 minutes to spare so I checked my bubbles, thanked Godde it was over, and began savoring the idea of lunch and a nap. Then I remembered the car.

I'm taking the fact that it was there and unticketed as an omen. And lunch and the nap were as good as I'd imagined. We'll hope for the scores . . .