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By Darren Collins
Several years ago I had the opportunity to assist in the development
of public school assembly curriculum for use in rural and
urban Cambodian schools. Over what was to become several trips
overseas to work with the Non-Government Organization (NGO)
(www.rdic.org) I also had the opportunity to speak with people
who worked for the World Health Organization (WHO). During
this time there was a lot of discussion about educational
standards in third world countries and how that related to
health of children.
One thing stuck in my memory. Did you know that the World
Health Organization found that one of the single most helpful
things for improving education in third world countries was
to provide latrines? That's right. Given an otherwise equal
learning environment, students at schools with toilets tested
significantly higher than schools without. Of course there
are a myriad of reasons why that is the case but the bottom
line is that physical health is directly related to mental
health.
In order for our students to do well during TAKS testing
time they must first be healthy, alert, rested, and energetic.
Parents and educators must provide environments where students
have access to plenty of hours of sleep the night beforehand,
healthy, diverse breakfasts and low sugar lunches. This cannot
be overstressed. Unhealthy, tired children simply cannot be
expected to test well. It should probably be noted that parents
of children who are medicated should take extra steps to make
sure prescribed medicine is taken properly and on time.
Second, our young people cannot be anxious. Parents and administrators
must support our teachers as they carefully toe the line between
encouraging the students to do their best while not causing
undue stress. Our goal is to have kids that are driven to
do well, but not to the extent at which they experience performance
anxiety. We want students who are confident in themselves
and not worried about failure. Teachers, administrators and
parents must be on the same page when it comes to encouraging
our young people and making sure they aren't stressed out.
Taking a test can be as stressful to a young person as trying
to finance a first home can be for us adults.
Now let's be candid. In my TAKS themed school assemblies
I am upfront about my own test experiences. Most of us have
taken tests in school we just didn't want to take. What negative
things did we do?
1. Answered randomly - just to get the test over with
2. Gave up - made up answers just to pass the time
3. Became overwhelmed - and never completed the test
Young people, if anything, are keenly aware of honesty. Teachers
need to be honest and open up to the truth of testing. We
DO get overwhelmed. We have all been tempted to blow off hard
work. Parents should be frank about their own experience as
well. Be honest about your own failures and successes. It
will be more effective than parroting random encouraging phrases
to the children. When a test does NOT affect your grade, it's
hard to take it serious when the test gets difficult. Explain
the importance of the test and offer real alternatives to
the above temptations.
1. If you are tempted to answer randomly, remember that it
will not be a secret. Those who check the tests will know
you have randomly answered.
2. Don't give up. You will have to sit quietly no matter
what. Why not use the time to test yourself? Nobody wants
to fail, but in this test you are not competing against anyone.
The only way you can fail is to stop trying.
3. If a particular problem is giving you trouble, don't over-think
it. Go ahead and come back to it later if you find yourself
spending too much time on it. Finishing the test is also important.
Ask your students questions. A two way line of communication
and an environment where students feel comfortable expressing
concerns will go a long way to helping kids feel "ready"
for the test.
Finally, enjoy the school assembly. Sometimes during a stressful
experience just having a laugh and enjoying life can be medicine
well taken. Students and teachers both should be encouraged
to relax and enjoy the show.
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All text written by Darren Collins. Please do not distribute
without permission.
Dallas
School Assemblies Copyright 2006
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