The Test

It's that time of year...state standardized test time. I have been spending the last couple of weeks trying to get my students prepared both academically and mentally for this grueling process. During a practice session, they were becoming increasingly agitated about the difficulty of the questions. They were not afraid to make these frustrations known, and also had some inside tips as to how we could skirt the test. We enter...

B: "Mr. A, this mug is hard boy."

S: "Yeah Mr. A, ain't no one finna take this stupid ass thing...them words don't even make sense."

Mr. A: "Listen you guys, you can do this. Success is measured by effort. We've come a long way from the beginning of the year, and whether you've noticed it or not, you have all grown and learned a lot. The key is to not give up."

R: "So you finna be in here during the test right Mr. A?"

Mr. A: "Well yeah, I have to be in here."

R: "That would be dope if you just gave us the answers, then we would all look tight."

Mr. A: "That would be cheating R, it's unethical, immoral and illegal. If we were caught, your tests would be shredded and I would potentially be fired."

L: "That would be even more tight, maybe them light skinned dudes from the news would come and talk to us about Mr. A getting fired. Then I'd be on TV and I'd flex and look all sexy."

R: "Ain't no one wanna look at yo' dusty, grizzly bear looking self...them mugs would interview me, and I'd tell them Mr. A made me cheat, then they be finna feel sorry for me, and that gets the ladies."

Mr. A: "Thanks for the support guys."

J: "We just playin' Mr. A, you actually pretty cool...you have hot chips."

Mr. A: "Indeed I do...indeed I do."