Rock The TAKS - Check!

The Friday before the big TAKS week our school had our 2nd annual Rock the TAKS day! I did a much better job with my rocker costume this year!

• Pants with holes - Forever 21
• Crazy shirt with dress hanging off of it - Forever 21
• Diva ring - Forever 21
• pink hair pieces - Hot Topic
• fish net gloves - Hot Topic
• dangly star earrings - Wal-Mart (from last year's rock day)
• super cute shoes - already had!

 Here are a couple of pics from the day!

Oh, and did I mention my kids truly rocked the TAKS?! Out of 67 students - only one did not pass! That makes for a 98% passing rate!! Also, out of that same group, 47% of them got commended (a grade of 93% or higher)! I was ecstatic when I received the results and so were they! Now we're just counting down the last weeks of school. Only 5 kiddo days left and 6 teacher days altogether! Hope everyone is having a great end-of-school time! :)

Rockin' the TAKS

Several weeks ago we had ROCK THE TAKS day! It was the Friday before our big week of TAKS. It was super fun. Everyone--teachers and students alike--dressed up like rock stars.

Here is a picture of my 6th grade partner, Kristi. She was seriously rockin' it!

Here's a picture of our Pre-K aide, Kyla. She was hard core :)

Here's a picture of me with 3 of my 6th grade girls...notice my rocker tattoos :)

Jocelyn (5th grade reading teacher) and myself rockin out! :)

And here is one of the funniest things I did for my students. They are ALL Twilight fans...I already had on a Twilight shirt, so I thought I'd go all out for Edward ;) The kids sure got a kick out of it!

We got our TAKS scores back today.....all day we knew the principals knew, but they wouldn't tell us....they put on some pretty hardcore facades and I was getting pretty scared not knowing. Around noon, our principal came over on the intercom and told us that we were having an 'emergency staff meeting' after school. A little scary! Little did we know, they were plotting a party.

Cake,

punch,

party favors.

and....

Now for my good news.....

I got 95% passing in reading with 49% commended!!!!

And while I'm really excited about that, I'm even more excited because we got exemplary as a school!!!!!!! Now, for the lowest SES school in Forney, and also a newly named Title I school, we're pretty stoked! Our principal actually started crying when she told us. She's always worked at pretty 'rough' schools, and this is the first time a school that she has been principal at has gotten exemplary!! We were all so excited.

Now, the very best of it all, is that I realized I only had 2 students fail...then, I thought...I have 7 students that have never passed reading on their first try. That means I had 5 pass on the first try for the first time in their lives! That was perhaps the most exciting news of all! One girl in particular passed both math & reading and she's NEVER passed reading before. I cannot WAIT to tell her. I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry when I get to tell her. I will be so excited....this is going to do incredible things for her self-esteem. Yay!!

So, now that TAKS is over, I've got my scores, and there's only 12 days left of school, I'm loving my job! :) Ha ha!

Stress Eater Anyone?

I've never been one to stress too much....

In middle school & high school I would fly by the seat of my pants with tests and such. Never had a 'scholastic care' in the world.

College came around, and I got a little more serious because I wanted to work hard to get into A&M (and I did), but still, I didn't really stress out over things. I studied and prepared myself, and so I didn't stress much. Never been a big 'test stresser' like some people. Tests don't scare me...even though I don't consider myself to be an exceptional test taker.

When I got to A&M, I worked hard at first and prepared myself for tests. Towards the end I started 'flying by the seat of my pants' again, but still didn't stress. Did well enough.

Junior year I got engaged and started planning the wedding. 9 months pass, and I suddenly became a 'stresser' (but only for a season really). I would wake up in the middle of the night during the few weeks before the wedding with nightmares. I would either have on a regular, blue dress or it was completely ruined, and I didn't notice until I was about to walk down the isle. I would get to the church and find out that I was there on the wrong day. One dream I remember was that we were all snowed in (because I was worried about the wedding being in December). Some nights I wouldn't even fall asleep in order to have a nightmare...I would just lie awake and think of all sorts of details that needed to be done or were not going the right way.

I know that sounds like a really silly thing to stress over, but that was my first real experience with stressing (I am not just talking about worrying, but actually stressing).

Until now, that was the last real thing I stressed about. I went into student teaching....no stress. First teaching job....no big stress, just first day jitters.

HOWEVER, last night I woke up with what I would almost call night terrors. I woke up in a cold sweat, I woke up too hot, I woke up panicked that I had slept in and would check my phone over and over. At one point in the middle of the night I checked my alarms to make sure everything was set right. I woke up with horrible dreams about..................if you're a teacher you'll guess it: THE STUPID TAKS TEST. I know it sounds really silly, but I'm a first year teacher with a reading TAKS test tagged to my name. Today was also my very first time to ever administer the TAKS test. I have been to two TAKS administration meetings and have been told repeatedly what to do and what not to do, how I can lose my certification and all sorts of other stuff. Teachers have told me stories about a teacher saying the wrong thing and getting fired. And while I know I'd really have to do something wrong in order to get in trouble, I was really scared this morning when I woke up. Not to mention exhausted because of the lack of sleep.

When I first started handing out the tests, I seriously thought I was going to have to get my asst. principal to take over my class for a little while because my stomach was in knots, and I wasn't sure if I'd make it.

Everything went fine, and I know I was stressed for no reason. You don't have to tell me. I know it is just a test. It's not even a test that I have to take. I just feel like there is so much pressure on everyone. The principals, the teachers, and the students. It just trickles down the line. I know how I feel, and I wonder how the kids feel. Some of them have worked so hard in after school tutoring over the past 6 or 8 weeks, and I want so badly for them to the results of their hard work.

Today was the math test and tomorrow is my reading test (I teach reading, not math). Please say a little prayer for "Mrs. Coats' 6th grade students" if you get a chance tomorrow! I am really praying for 90% passing and over 50% commended, but we'll see.

Anyway...When I got home today I realized that I am a stress eater (most people handle stress a certain way, and I think I 'eat my stress'). I came home and immediately ate chips and queso and then went straight for the cookies and milk. That was my dinner. Talk about comfort food!

Luckily TAKS is only two days a year for me or I'd be sporting a chips-and-queso-milk-and-cookies body. Ha!

The End is NEAR...

TAKS test is tomorrow...........tomorrow is math, but my reading TAKS is Wednesday. That's the one I'm really worried about, obviously, because it is the one I teach. However, I am nervous about tomorrow because it is my first TAKS test to administer. I've never even taken a test like it in school...seeing as I went to a private school and the achievement tests we took were no big deal.

Anyhow, I can't wait for this week to be over! Right after school on Wednesday I am going to get a massage! We bid on one of the silent auction prizes at the Micah Johnson Golf Tournament and so I have a massage in Forney and I also have one from Casey's sister, Stephanie. She got me one for my birthday!! 2 awesome options. I'll have one now and save one til the last day of school! What a glorious day that will be! 6 weeks!! WOOHOO! :)

Here is a little clip about the kiddos, but I honestly feel like this, too. :)

If you can't read this...it says..."You can make my body go to school but my soul will be outside running through sprinklers." :)

TAKS Training

Today I had a TAKS training after school.

I cannot BELIEVE all the silly things they make you do/not do on TAKS day. I was almost laughing out loud in my seat. But I didn't dare because it is so "serious." Ha ha. I have no idea how anyone can take that silly stuff seriously though. It is absolutely ridiculous.

It is so funny that if a kid falls asleep there is a "statement" that I am supposed to read to them. If they don't bubble in their answers--another written, formal statement that I read to them. Question about the test-statement. Bathroom break-statement. Kid asks to sharpen their pencil-statement.

Blah blah blah-statement.

Apparently I am not allowed to say ANYTHING that is not already written down for me to say. Our computers HAVE to be off the entire day after we've taken attendance, and we have to sit at the lunch table in the cafeteria with them the day of the test. They are not allowed to say ANYTHING to each other. Poor kids. I would hate school, too, if I had had to do this when I was younger. Fortunately the state wasn't crazy back then. Ha!

Our first TAKS test day is Tuesday (one week from tomorrow), and I can already tell that my principal is stressed out. It is crazy what this test does to students, teachers, administrators and parents. I'm starting to think it does more harm than good.

My (6th grades') first TAKS test isn't until April 28 & 29. We don't take retests like 3rd & 5th do, and I am glad.

Anyway, all I am trying to say is, I HATE TAKS.