EMSA

The 3rd grade girls took the EMSA (English, math, science, Arabic) test yesterday and today.  This was the first time that the girls had to take a standardized test and the results are going to be terrible and totally unreliable. 

Yesterday they took the Arabic and math portions.  An Arabic teacher was going to come in and give the test while I stayed to try to "help" the girls and keep them quiet.  There really wasn't any help I could give them on the Arabic part although the girls asked me to read some words for them.  I didn't help during the math test, because it's a test and I shouldn't help them. 

So the Arabic teacher brought the test and then she was going to leave.  The names were written in Arabic so I couldn't even pass them out.  I told her that I couldn't give the test since it was in Arabic.  She figured it out and stayed.  She passed out the test and gave directions which seemed confusing to the girls.  Why wouldn't they be, they had no practice taking a test before.  Poor little girls.  The Arabic teacher was getting frustrated at them for not understanding her directions.  I did what I could to help, but I'm not sure they really understood me either.  Eventually the Arabic teacher just read the test to them.  Yes, read it to them.  I think she even asked the girls what they were putting for their answer.  I figured this out because the girls were giving her answers that were sounds which were the answer choices.  The ABCD answer choices on the Arabic test are their characters which are sounds not letters.  So much for letting the girls take the test themselves. 

The math part was very interesting.  There was Arabic on one side and English on the other side.  This totally threw the kids.  They thought they had to do both.  I tried to explain that the questions were the same just written in Arabic and English "see, same, same" as I pointed to both pages.  Many of the girls asked me to read the English to them.  I pointed to the Arabic side and told them to read that.  Although I'm not sure they could read it and understand because the language used was quite intense math vocabulary (symmetry, equivalent, unit...).  Words they should know, but their education hasn't been the best.   I ended up having to sit by a student and continually tell her to read and choose an answer.  That's all I think most of them did, just choose answers.  No reading, just picking.  Yikes; it's scary that the results are going to be used for teaching purposes. 

Today they had the English and science parts.  I was told that I was allowed to stay in the room as long as I didn't help the girls.  Yeah, like I would do that.  It's been ingrained in me for the past 8 years to not help students on a test.  Too many scary stories about teachers losing their jobs.  But that was the States and this is the UAE, so maybe I should have relaxed a little.  No, a test is a test wherever you are and if you want to use the results correctly the students need to take it without help.  An Arabic teacher came in to give the test and she asked me to help them.  I told her that the principal told me I couldn't read it or help them.  Her English is good enough so she started reading it to the kids!  I told her that the principal said we couldn't help.  She then told me I could leave and she would give the test and get me when she was done.  Yeah, she wanted me to leave so she could read the test to them.  As I was leaving I reminded her what the principal said about not helping them.  Now, I don't know what happened but I do know that the teacher in Natalie's class read it to them.  She told me that much.  I was brought back when they were finished so she could go get the science part.  I have no idea what happened during that test because as soon as they were passed out (the kids started working as soon as they got the test, no directions or timing or anything), I was told I could leave.  I asked if she was sure and again reminded her about what the principal said about not helping them.  and left the classroom and went upstairs and got a lot of planning, preparing, and organizing done. 

I am still dealing with talking.  I am trying not to let it bother me, but it does.  I have to stop quite frequently during my lessons and ask them to be quiet and then wait for them to actually be quiet.  If I start handing out stickers, it takes too long and they start talking again.  I am trying to keep my lessons short, but they are getting quite long because I have to keep stopping and telling them to be quiet.  There are a few girls who really want to learn and are quiet and respectful when I'm teaching, but they're the minority.  I found myself asking if I could really do this for a whole year, or two.  I mean keep telling the girls to stop talking.  It's very tiring.  It's very frustrating.  It's a waste of time.  Yeah, maybe, hopefully they'll get better.  I tried taking sticker cards away today if they were talking or playing.  That's something I would never have done because they earned that sticker, but I am at a loss for ideas and I have to teach them.  And, I can't teach when they are talking.   I tried to play ABC BINGO today, but they just wouldn't stop talking and I wasn't going to talk over them so we had to stop.  What to do, what to do?  I am praying for patience, ideas, and that the girls would listen.

No money yet, but that's a good thing.  I really didn't want to have to deal with getting stuff ready for the apt. tonight.  I just wanted to come home and relax.  Which I did!  I took a nap, did some laundry (ok not relaxing but it needed to be done), read, and watched some TV.  It felt good to just stay in the room and relax.  Tomorrow Susan and I are taking things to the apt. and we are going to start some cleaning. 



my classroom - white board and desk on other side



outdoor area for recess and morning assembly