Summer Thoughts

One of the things I love most about going to graduate school is listening to fellow educators and leaders. I am renewed in my passion for public education. The media continually posts negative things about public education - they look for anything and everything going wrong. I can tell you that there are 100 times more positive things than negative happening on campuses!

I am sitting with educators from Cedar Hill ISD, Grapevine Colleyville ISD, Wylie ISD, Lewisville ISD, Dallas ISD, and Arlington ISD, to  name a few. The stories that they have shared about their district successes are amazing. I am here to tell you that public schools are achieving more, with less, with each passing year. Our kids in Texas are so lucky to have passionate, caring educators advocating for them and their futures.

I say "Way to go, public educators!". We are making a difference. Don't listen to the naysayers; just take a minute to think about the wonderful kids in your school and do not hesitate to share your success stories with others!

Testing Season

The nurse just notified me that we have had an influx of 3rd - 5th graders in her office this week. Could this be related to testing season? Unfortunately, I believe that there is a strong correlation between the STAAR test and student illness due to test anxiety. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America provide excellent information regarding test anxiety on their website:

Causes

• Fear of failure. While the pressure to perform can act as a motivator, it can also be devastating to individuals who tie their self-worth to the outcome of a test.
• Lack of preparation. Waiting until the last minute or not studying at all can leave individuals feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
• Poor test history. Previous problems or bad experiences with test-taking can lead to a negative mindset and influence performance on future tests.

Symptoms

• Physical symptoms. Headache, nausea, diarrhea, excessive sweating, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, light-headedness and feeling faint can all occur. Test anxiety can lead to a panic attack, which is the abrupt onset of intense fear or discomfort in which individuals may feel like they are unable to breathe or having a heart attack.
• Emotional symptoms. Feelings of anger, fear, helplessness and disappointment are common emotional responses to test anxiety.
• Behavioral/Cognitive symptoms. Difficulty concentrating, thinking negatively and comparing yourself to others are common symptoms of test anxiety.

Tips for managing test anxiety

Share these tips with your child if he or she is anxious about an upcoming exam:

• Be prepared. Develop good study habits. Study at least a week or two before the exam, in smaller increments of time and over a few days (instead of pulling an "all-nighter"). Try to simulate exam conditions by working through a practice test, following the same time constraints.
• Develop good test-taking skills. Read the directions carefully, answer questions you know first and then return to the more difficult ones. Outline essays before you begin to write.
• Maintain a positive attitude. Remember that your self-worth should not be dependent on or defined by a test grade. Creating a system of rewards and reasonable expectations for studying can help to produce effective studying habits. There is no benefit to negative thinking.
• Stay focused. Concentrate on the test, not other students during your exams. Try not to talk to other students about the subject material before taking an exam.
• Practice relaxation techniques. If you feel stressed during the exam, take deep, slow breaths and consciously relax your muscles, one at a time. This can invigorate your body and will allow you to better focus on the exam.
• Stay healthy. Get enough sleep, eat healthfully, exercise and allow for personal time. If you are exhausted—physically or emotionally—it will be more difficult for you to handle stress and anxiety.
• Visit the counseling center. Schools are aware of the toll exams can take on students. They have offices or programs specifically dedicated to helping you and providing additional educational support so that you can be successful.

Pecan Creek Elementary is dedicated to providing students with a safe, encouraging learning environment. We will continue to remind students that the STAAR test is simply a snapshot in time and our expectation is solely that students show us what they know. We will continue to remind students that school embodies much more than a state-mandated test. We will continue to teach students the way that we know is most beneficial for them. We want our students to be good students, not simply good test-takers. 

Winter Blues

I have had numerous conversations lately with people who hate winter. They say that January and February are just depressing. It is even evident in my own children when I have to wake them up in the morning. They are much more moody and not as willing to jump out of the bed to get dressed. When you Google this phenomena, you run across thousands of articles about SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder. WebMD states, "Serotonin production increases with light, meaning that gray gloom creeping in the window is not kicking the production of feel-good chemicals into action." 

Did you know that exercise increases serontonin? Take a trip down any of our hallways and you will see that our teachers have already learned this trick. Last week, I heard music coming out of Mrs. Ragland's room. When I went to check it out, the students were taking a brain-break and were all on the rug dancing! They were having so much fun. As a result, students were not only in a better mood, but they were also more focused on their learning that afternoon. So, the next time your kids seem down, turn on a Just Dance Kids video and have a short dance party!