Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

As a SHSAT (the test for students in NYC to get into specialized high schools like Stuyvesant or Brooklyn Tech) teacher, I got used to the barely post pubescent kids saying dumb things and being amused by words like pianist or sniffing each others hand sanitizers all class long. However, one day before they were about to take a test (after taking one the previous class), I had this enlightening conversation:

How come we're taking another test? We just took one. I don't feel like I've learned anything.
-Like what? Math? What do you feel you haven't learned?
Really, how to take the test and have enough time on it.
-Oh, well that's about paci...
Like last test, I didn't finish. I had about 20 questions left when time ran out.
-Did you spend too long on the reading? Did you remember to skip a question and come back if it seemed hard?
Well, I spent the first 20 minutes doodling.
-You understand how this is YOUR fault, right?

3 comments:

priskiller said...

To be fair, tho, it is awfully tempting to make bubble-sheet answers look like a picture. But that's my antiquated 1998-SAT-taking self talking.

L BO said...

i keep encouraging my students to spell my name on the test.

Unknown said...

Reading the conversation I wasn't sure if you were the words in italics since that sounded like something you would say...