I used to think that test days were the easy days. Once your test is made, no lesson to prepare, no PowerPoint to organize, a light day overall. And then four years ago I started teaching ninth grade. The questions, oh the questions!

An example: a question on a quiz was, what is irony? The definition had been written on the board and discussed during class in the days before. A student called me over:

Student (pointing to the question and looking up at me expectantly): I don’t remember the answer.

Me: Um, ok?

Student: But what should I do?

Me:  Try to remember? The definition was on the board and I said it would be on the quiz.

Student:  But I forgot. Can you give me hint?

Me: No.

Student: But I forgot.

Another question asked students to find examples of a metaphor in a poem. During the period, several students called me over:

Student (pointing to a phrase in the poem): Would this be a metaphor?

Me: Well, that’s kind of what I’m asking you so…

Student: Come on, you really can’t tell me?

I think the only logical solution would be to just stop giving tests. I’m sure the kids wouldn’t complain.