Anatomy of an Exam

We’ve all had those moments in life where we have been faced with the extreme pressure and daunting task of taking a major test. Tests are a part of life from the very beginning of our early preschool years. Our teachers have been giving us tests from the simple things like social skills to the abc’s to the more difficult tasks of higher critical thinking skills. They are simply unavoidable and probably going to be around for the rest of our lives as well. So how do we deal with the tests, the struggle, the stress, the aggravation of sitting down and approaching with any shred of confidence the very goliath before our eyes? Run!

Alright so maybe running is too strong a word and when first used it looks like I am saying to run away from the test, run from the problem. But no in truth we cannot run from the tests in school or the tests in life. All of these exams before us are placed there for an important reason, to examine our knowledge and increase our wisdom. So the first thing to do is stop being afraid of the tests in our lives, even the ones which could easily trample us underfoot. We should run into the battle, across the enemy lines and into the territory of possibly the unknown. Because the battle is where we learn and grow.

Today I approached another big test of my life, a real hurdle separating me from my life goal of becoming a teacher. Now while I will not know the results for another few weeks I thought it would be good to just get some of the destressing accomplished now. Because this particular test was taken once already in May of last year and not passed by a mere five points. So that was rather disappointing, as well as it would be even more so if today’s exam did not go well either. Time will tell. And time is something else to learn from.

In life exams take time to accomplish. Today’s particular test was a four hour exam which included multiple choice options and written portions. They were simple enough questions all regarding my knowledge of teaching and appropriate practices in the classroom. I am not sure I agree that this simple test really says I am able to be a teacher, I leave that to the Lord really and the strong desire I have to meet the goal itself. When I reached the written essay portion I froze in a panic at first because it occurred to me that this is extremely difficult to write without having proper time and maybe a good spell check along with me. But in the real world and life our tests often have to be even quicker, leaving us very little time to have the best answers when faced with difficult moments. Preparation is everything.

Preparing for the unknown is difficult. Even with study guides and booklets on the subjects being studied it can still be scary once approaching the test. I read many books on marriage before getting married and again books on parenting before having kids, but none of them really made me the perfect husband or father. Neither do passing some state required tests make me an excellent teacher. I will be an excellent teacher because that is what God has called me to be. But it is going to take time and I will be learning from the experiences I have going forward. What astounds me the most about test taking is how completely stressful it is and how much can be learned more from our reactions to the test then the actual tests themselves. 

My teaching philosophy

Every child is a unique individual capable of learning, understanding, and responding to education. Children come from all different backgrounds, and are placed in with a mix of others who are all in the same way going to respond to everything in their own way. I have always believed it is important to understand what a child is saying and respond to them with respect and kindness. 

There really can be no other way as a teacher, as teachers are called to teach and guide.

Elementary education is the very roots of the rest of a persons’ life. As that child grows up to be an adult what they learned while young will have greater influence on them as anything else they experience. Kids are going to take the things they learned growing up, from the classroom environment to the home environment and use those lessons to become who they are in the world. One of the most vital skills a child will take from school is not just the ability to read but the enjoyment of reading.

As every child is an individual learner, there are a multitude of ways to help them understand reading. For those kids who learn through visual or spatial means, it might be as simple as learning to read instructions to play a game. Naturalistic learners can find animal facts an interesting thing to discover. With each child there is a way to present the love of learning and the desire to continue in the skill.

With each new child I teach I will look at them as an individual, deserving my attention, along with all of their classmates, and acceptance that they do not know everything yet. I can be confident in what I know and am able to teach them. I will be ready; knowing everything I do is a reflection of what I believe. When there are challenges to be faced, and there will be, I will handle them with sensitivity. It is important to me that the kids learn how to love reading and writing so they will be successful adults and enjoy all of the wonderful worlds contained in books.

All my life I have always had a creative mindset when it comes to accomplishing a task. I am always on the lookout for any tools near me which might be of help. This makes me more of the stage manager when it comes to playing and teaching children. As a child myself I was the one who came up with the creative ideas for the neighborhood kids. I would grab empty buckets and some wood beams to set up obstacle courses for one example. This creative aspect of my nature will enable me in the teaching world to help aid children in the art of learning while playing. As long as I have the resources I will enjoy watching the children learn and discover along with me.

My goal is to be the teacher the children remember later in life as the one who had the most fun ways of learning new things. There is so much to learning then simply reading in a text book and answering questions. Real life is hands on, so the children should have as much hands on learning as they can. The best memories I have from early elementary school are those involving special project assignments. When a teacher takes something and helps it come to life with the kids it holds a special meaning.

As I grow as a teacher all of the different roles will manifest at one point or another. I like the focus of a stage manager, as they present the various pieces or props, for the children to work with and learn from. I imagine it is very much like a science lab in a sense as I present the children or subjects with tasks to preform and watch what they and I learn from them. There will never be a time when I am not learning as much as the kids are. All teachers have to be open to allow the kids to teach in return even as they are learning.


It will be my responsibility to present the children with the learning material in a fun and creative way every day. I want my kids to talk about what they are learning and doing in my class even when it is not obvious to them what they are gaining. It will take a lot of effort on my part but I look forward to gaining more skills and knowledge so the future children I help will benefit.