And the worst new blogger of the year award...

...goes to me!! I hate how little I have posted lately because so much has been happening with the end of the school year and I love writing it all down.

For starters, my kids all made me a celebrity at the school because every single one of my kids passed their World History SOL.

I am so proud of them I could almost burst. My kids had to learn 500 years of history (from the Renaissance to NAFTA and the Bosnian genocide) in about 8 months and there were VERY specific things not just broad, general understands for each standard. For example, they didn't just have to know effects of the Protestant Reformation, they had to know: the effect of the Edict of Nantes in France, the leader of German unification, how Jomo Kenyatta helped achieve independence in Africa. To gauge their "understanding" of all this content, they are given a 60 question multiple choice test and if they don't pass, they do not receive credit for the course. In addition, the results reflect very poorly on both the teacher and the school in both state and nation-wide assessment regarding its accreditation and success rate.

I think I was more stressed than my kids were on SOL day! I was so stressed and averaged about 4 hours of sleep a night making review sheets and prepping my kids for the test the two weeks before. I went in with the utmost confidence that MOST of my kids would pass, but I had a handful of VERY weak students. I was hoping for at least an 85% pass rate (the average is between 85%-94%) and in my wildest dreams never believed I could get EVERY kid to pass. I had a couple kids that have gotten D's and F's on almost every single one of my tests and seem so lost every day in class. It's hard enough for veteran teachers to get a 100% pass rate, nevertheless someone in their first year.

They took the test at 12:15 and I was a nervous wreck from 12:15. My 5th period seniors all had a good laugh at how nervous I was. The principal came in after an hour to report back that 15 kids (out of 55) were still taking the test, but was thrilled to tell me that I currently had a 100% pass rate. I knew exactly who those 15 kids were and just sweated it out for the next hour and change waiting for the final results to come in. Then finally, the last class of the day, the principal and guidance counselor were beyond thrilled to come to my room and tell me that 100% of my kids had passed their World History II SOL. Not only that, but almost half of them received an "Advanced Pass" and seven of those got a perfect score! I'm sure the principal was thrilled, 'cos it makes him look great for hiring me. The guidance counselor hugged me and handed me the print-out with their scores so I could tell them all.

I was so proud and excited, it's a feeling I honestly can't even explain. Knowing I made it to the end of my first year teaching is quite positively one of the BEST FEELINGS EVER! I sometimes have to pinch myself that I made it. To know that I also achieved a 100% pass rate makes it all even more amazing. It makes the stress and anxiety and late nights all (well almost all) worth it.

Anyway, I dropped $40 at Sam's buying up brownies, cookies and Capri Suns for a party for each class where I told them how proud I was and we played history charades. When I told them we had a 100% pass rate they went NUTS! They were slapping each other five and congratulating each other and shouting how awesome they were (which they are, for the most part). My joy in their results and their own excitement made me realize, if I can get this pumped up about the results of a standardized test, maybe teaching really is my calling. The amount of support I got from my fellow faculty and the smiles and fist pumps I got from those kids makes me honestly never want to leave this school (for all the headaches it has caused me). I felt like a CELEBRITY after the bell rang. Math teachers, science teachers, janitors, even students I barely knew were all congratulating me! It was a truly wonderful feeling that I don't think I will soon forget.

The news of my pass rate was followed up by a call from JC to tell me that he found out where he is PCSing to, but I suppose I will have to save that for another email.

Track season isn't over yet 'cos we still have 9 athletes going to regionals so I will still be busy until the end of the school year, but the end is very near so hopefully better blogging habits will resume. Until then...