National Board Tests

In addition to the dreaded portfolio, the National Board process also requires that you take a six-part test. Each part (for me) was on a different subject area and included literacy, math, arts, social studies, science, and health. Each essay must be completed in 30 minutes--it's a booger to say the least. But, I was thankful to have my friend, Sara with me. What an adventure the day turned out to be. When we arrived at the testing center, they would not let Sara in to take the test because her driver's license was expired. She had several forms of id, but they wouldn't accept any of them. I thought this was ridiculous because even if it had expired, it was still able to verify who she was. Nonetheless, the lady there agreed to let us push back our test time so we could go to the DMV and get Sara a new license. We had to wait there at the DMV for about an hour and a half, and by that time, we were just giddy, and laughing about everything. By that time, it was time for lunch, but we didnt' have time to eat. We had to start the test by one or we wouldn't get it finished by the time they closed. As frustrating as that all sounds, I actually think it was God's way of taking my mind off things. By the time the test actually started, I wasn't nervous anymore and was just finding the humor in the day. As a matter of fact, when I read my science question (which was beyond ridiculous!!), I was able to laugh instead of cry! :) The best part of the story is what happened after the test. Apparently, the test, along with the events of the day, took quite a toll on me. We decided to do a little retail therapy after the test and I went to Michaels to buy t-shirts for my kids so we could make EOG spirit shirts. So there I stand in Michaels with an arm full of shirts and this lady says, "Awww...you must be a grandmother!" I know I must have looked dumbfounded--I must have looked rougher than I thought, but grandmother, really??.....Glad that NB crap is over, at least for the time being.