26. Tests

Not another one...
The groaning filled the room
But the teacher stood there,
Unnoticing,
Unaware of the dread,
Kids sneaking in notes,
Copying,
Last minute studying,
She just hands them out,
Hands out the most dreaded paper,
The test

The thought of the next test,
the smell of the newly printed paper... EW,
the fear of failing this next test,
the hate of it all the test you need to take,
the mess it makes in your head,
the hard work makes you break,
your brain squeezing all it can take in,
the last few minutes before you go
you look,
you cram,
you study,
next thing you know you’re taking the worst task possible
you’re done,
you come out,
you wait,
and wait,
and wait,
you get the grade,
you take a minute before you take a last look,
you look,
you have gotten an F
you failed,
what will your mom and dad say.
But that's a different story.

Sitting in the Waiting Room
Waiting for my results
A prick of the finger, drawing blood,
Hurts worse than insults

Do I have HIV/ AIDS?
How will this story end?
Oh how I wish
That he had stayed a friend

Or could it be cancer?
Spreading through my body
Growing everywhere
Oh how naughty

Then it comes
The nurse calls my name
The verdict: just drink more milk
“That’s it?!” I exclaim!

Test

By Kate McGovern
Woodstock Union High School, Grade 10

Wake up in a cold sweat
Surrounded by textbooks and papers
Five o’clock in the morning
Studying for a test

Running through the woods, dodging tree by tree,
unaware of how many were behind me.
I stopped to check,
but all I could hear was my heart, thumping against my chest.
I started up again, weaving through the brush,
then I tripped and landed in a pile of mush.
I got up and ran on, still holding what put me here in the first place,
It wasn't worth it now, it was all just a waste.
So I dropped the snickers, into some prickers.
And jumped into a stream, which brought me to a river,
I swam to a beach, when I felt a shiver .
I looked behind me to see my friend, holding the snickers,
that I dropped into the prickers.
And behind my friend, I could see them,
looking at me, and then back at him.
He opened the snickers,
and took a bite.
then all I saw,
was a few bright lights.
The two lights were straight across from each other,
I don’t know how I can explain this to my mother.
So I jumped into the river,
and swam to my friend.
I climbed up the beach,
grabbing him was just out of reach.
The tires squealed to a stop,
out came a cop.
The snickers was in his hands,
so I ran into the night,
when I looked back I saw the law.
They were turning right.
Why are they turning, can’t they see me?
I soon found out why, they wanted my friend.
They thought the snickers was taken by him.
So I grabbed my bike, and rode full speed.
I caught up to my friend and he ran along side me
I ghost rid my bike into a tree,
and we scaled that tree before they could see.
They stopped for a moment,
and eventually left.
Then we climbed back down,
regretting our theft.

Running through the woods, dodging tree by tree,
unaware of how many were behind me.
I stopped to check,
but all I could hear was my heart, thumping against my chest.
I started up again, weaving through the brush,
then I tripped and landed in a pile of mush.
I got up and ran on, still holding what put me here in the first place,
It wasn't worth it now, it was all just a waste.
So I dropped the snickers, into some prickers.
And jumped into a stream, which brought me to a river,
I swam to a beach, when I felt a shiver .
I looked behind me to see my friend, holding the snickers,
that I dropped into the prickers.
And behind my friend, I could see them,
looking at me, and then back at him.
He opened the snickers,
and took a bite.
then all I saw,
was a few bright lights.
The two lights were straight across from each other,
I don’t know how I can explain this to my mother.
So I jumped into the river,
and swam to my friend.
I climbed up the beach,
grabbing him was just out of reach.
The tires squealed to a stop,
out came a cop.
The snickers was in his hands,
so I ran into the night,
when I looked back I saw the law.
They were turning right.
Why are they turning, can’t they see me?
I soon found out why, they wanted my friend.
They thought the snickers was taken by him.
So I grabbed my bike, and rode full speed.
I caught up to my friend and he ran along side me
I ghost rid my bike into a tree,
and we scaled that tree before they could see.
They stopped for a moment,
and eventually left.
Then we climbed back down,
regretting our theft.

The night is dark and cloudy,
I cast my line afar,
And from the murky waters,
I caught myself a star.

Craig Carpenter
young writers project
tests

one day there was this one test,
in which I did the very best
I finished relatively quick,
so I sat there hearing the clock tick
30 minutes later we were let out,
doing well on the test I was confident about
When I received my grade the very next day,
I looked at the paper and saw an A
but my friend did not do so well,
from his last test his grade greatly fell
the school day was over so there was nothing better to do
so I went home and and worte down this poem.

My Worst nightmare!!!!-tests

One Saturday night I went to bed kinda early about 9:00. I hadn’t watched any scary movies or anything! It was about 2 o’clock in the morning when i heard noises outside my bedroom. It was pitch black out so I opened my door to see what was going on. I didn’t see anything so I left my doI heard something outside my door again so I woke up and sat up in my bed. Five minutes. later I saw something in my door way, so I rubbed my eyes so see if I was hallucinating, but I didn’t think I was. I saw a persons shadow or a person outside my door with a shovel in hand. I sat there for a few minutes. when they were coming closer and closer...... But then they were in my room so I started screaming to my mom and her boyfriend Thane. I was screaming for 2 minutes strait when hey finally came out of their bedroom to see what was wrong. They said “what, what happened, what's wrong?” I said I saw something out side my door and I heard something outside my window! I was shaking very furiously! I was crying I was so scared. They said it was nothing but a nightmare! But I didn’t believe them. I was so frightened I didn’t want to go back to bed! I made my mom stay up with my until morning when my brothers got up so I new I was safe! I went to bed about 6 o’clock and woke up at about 12:00 They started making fun of me and my mom yelled at them! I went outside to see if there was anything outside my window. But what I saw really surprised me............ I saw deer tracks right beside my window they were probably digging for food so I started laughing. But I still wasn’t convinced that it was still a nightmare I wouldn’t go to sleep until Thane said that know one in this neighborhood or this road have EVER been broken into. He said that basically that there are very few brake ins in Dummerston. So I decided to go to bed. The next morning I woke up and said it was just a nightmare and nothing really happened!

By Myah Purvis
Edmunds Elementary School, Grade 4

Once on an ordinary day there was an ordinary girl who had a TEST! She absolutely hates tests. Of course it's the worst kind of test, it's the NECAP test. She pretends to be sick, but her mother knows her ways. "I hate that test," she said. She got on the bus and sat next to her friend. "This is a nightmare," she says! "I know. I'm sweating up a storm myself," says her friend. They get to school. It seems that that the bell rings in an instant. There is fear in the room. The first question is 35 times 35. She struggles. Then she gets it. It equals 1225. Then she zooms through the whole page. The bell rings. She feels much more confident. She can't wait to see her grades!

Tests

By Abby Chretien
Hartford Memorial Middle School, Grade 8

Sometimes I wish
You were just testing me
That you really do like me
But you want to see if I’ll wait for you.
But it’s not a test.
I sure wish it was, though.
Because, honey,
I’d get an A.

Tests

By Ossia Dwyer
Hartford Memorial Middle School, Grade 7

“OK, class. This test is meant to test your knowledge of the theories. I hope you studied!” says my perky yet highly annoying teacher. Does she really care if we do well or not?
I was hoping for a snow day or a fever or malaria. I would have studied really hard and even maybe paid attention in class but the hottest guy sits right in front of me. I spent all yesterday night talking to him online. How was I supposed to study? Does my teacher not know anything about teenagers? Maybe I will be able to just conjure it up. OK, 2x+72>3x-12, solve for x. Is faking a seizure too dramatic? I know. I will fake a headache, then wander around the building. Oh great, the teacher noticed I wasn’t working. She is walking over here. Concentrate.
“An emergency has been reported in this building!! Please cease operation and leave, utilizing the nearest exit or fire exit!!” came onto the speakers, blasting our eardrums out. I ran out of the room as fast as I could. Anything to get out of that test and try to study or sleep.

Tests

By Ashley Bailey
Hartford Memorial Middle School, Grade 7

I look down. The numbers make no sense. (A = 2.5 so what is the answer to 2.65 x A = ?) What does that mean? I hate tests. Hate them, hate them, hate them. I get nervous and sweaty. My hand is shaking as I write the answer down. Great. I bet it’s wrong. Oh well, I keep going, and going, and going. Everything around me is blurry like a two-year-old came up and smudged the colors. The bell rings. I am almost done. Last question and then I am finished. Now I am relieved. No more to worry about…except the results of my test!

Final Exam

By Shannon McCullen
Essex High School, 9th Grade

"And begin"
One and a half hours
65 problems
Oh no
Ok, I can do it
First one done,
Second ok,
Third, oh on
Is it acute or obtuse?
How do I find the area of a right triangle?
What's sin35 mean?
Ok, calm down
Its only 45% of my final grade
Ok, I have an hour and 15 minutes left
Fourth problem piece o' cake
Fifth, I start spiraling down like stairs
Now is the point when I regret even considering Geometry A
Ok, calm down Shannon
It's only a test,
It's only a test
I will not freak out
I will not go crazy
I can do it, I can succeed,
Breaking my tranquility, my teacher chimes,
"One hour left"
30 minutes have passed and
I've done one, two, three...
Three problems?!
Will stay calm, I can do it
When did we learn circles?
What about diagonals?
Why are there radicals?!
Will stay calm,
My mind won't explode
3 out of 65 equals, equals
5%?!
I’m going to fail!!
Will stay calm,
Will stay calm
"Eh-hem!"
I snap back to reality
"Miss McCullen?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you ready?"
"For?" I say nervously
"The bell rang"
"Oh!"
Maybe I was dreaming
Then,
Final Exam next class 45% of your grade!!
Is written across the board
Maybe I wasn't dreaming
Oh yeah, I'm still in Algebra
Oh good
I hope

The Test

By Jonathan Slimovitch
Williston Central School, Grade 8

I walked into the half filled classroom, passing under the teacher’s scrutinizing glare that seemed to stare straight into my soul. I blinked, reminding myself of the long ordeal ahead. There would be no time for hesitation or panic.
The classroom in front of me was filled with desks. Each desk was empty save for a yellow number 2 pencil and a thick packet of creamy, white paper. There were two large groups of shiny wooden desks, with a thin open space that ran down the middle. Most of the desks on the right side had already been taken by students. I strode confidently towards the group of desks on the left, determined not to let others see my fear. I finally chose a desk near the front of the room. A girl sat down in the seat next to me. She flashed me a nervous smile as her eyes darted to the clock above the blackboard. We were all nervous.
The door slammed shut, making each of us jump. The teacher walked carefully to the front of the room, her cold piercing stare making those who made eye contact shudder in their seats. She stopped at the front of the room, turning to face us. Her words rang strong and clear in the otherwise silent room.
“You may begin.”
I quickly flipped over my test, ignoring the big black letters S-A-T on the top of the packet. I signed my name quickly with the number 2 pencil in the space provided, my eyes already darting down to the first question.
‘Name 4 of the main themes involved in Mark Twain’s book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.’ The question gave four possible answers; a, b, c, or d. I circled a, and moved onto the next problem. I moved through the first 10 pages of the test relatively easily, struggling slightly on the essay questions. We worked in silence for over an hour, scribbling away at our test packets under the teacher’s baleful glare.

studying prepare
the nervousness engulfes me
i shelter my fear

Winter Serenity

By Nicole LeBlond
Woodstock Union High School, Grade 10

Out alone nothing but me and the cold
Crackling trees bend and snap in the frigid air surrounding me.
The trees stand tall and mighty towering several feet above me.
I glance and see the snowflakes dance.
As the snowflakes cascade toward the ground they form a jigsaw puzzle.
Each snowflake that falls is a new piece to the jigsaw puzzle of winter.
After a fall, a winter wonderland is complete.

The jigsaw reveals a completely new world of glistening wonders.

I zone back into my surroundings
I hum the melody of “What a Wonderful World” in my own world of
melancholia.
The air that embraces me is a frigid blanket of bitterness
My eardrums echo the songs of chickadees
My shoes sound the crunching of snow nestled tightly together,
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

studying prepare
the nervousness engulfes me
i shelter my fear

Long Gone

By Drew-Marie Dudley
Chelsea Public School, Grade 11

She told me to find her the day she left our small town
She didn't know where she was going
On a plane or bus or boat or car
She gave me a hug and told me that I would always know where she was
How was I to know if she didn't tell me what she had in mind?
We spent our entire childhood together
She was going to be gone like a perfect summer wind we become so fond of
What was I to do now that we were older and had to take our own ways separately?
She told me she loved me and climbed into her green Escort
And she was gone.

Testing

By Maddie Gilbert
Woodstock Union High School, Grade 10

SATs
Answer sheets passed out
Clammy hands nervously take them
Then the test books
Containing for many
The future of their education
With shaking hands
Filling in name, school code, age
Worried about doing something wrong
The long and tedious directions
That the teacher reads
Although everybody already knows what to do
From so much testing through the years
And finally it’s time to start.
The first section: the essay
A tense 25 minutes in which
Everybody constantly writes
No time for thinking, planning or stopping
Next section, either math or English
And another 7 sections like this follow
With a 5-minute break
And a one minute break
Just enough time to catch your thoughts and breath
Before diving back into another section
In the last sections
Focus wavers
But try to keep concentration
For these scores will influence colleges
Almost done, only a few more sections
Empty bubbles blur before tired eyes
And when everybody is done
We are finally released
And all wander
Dazed down the halls
Waiting for rides home
To eat, sleep and rest.

SATs
Answer sheets passed out
Clammy hands nervously take them
Then the test books
Containing for many
The future of their education
With shaking hands
Filling in name, school code, age
Worried about doing something wrong
The long and tedious directions
That the teacher reads
Although everybody already knows what to do
From so much testing through the years

When tests come to mind, I think of long scary pages of writing that I have to solve. I always worry if I will flunk a test or if I will have to retake it. I don’t usually flunk tests, but that thought pops into my mind when I’m taking one. There are many scary things in school, but test taking is my least favorite of all.

As summer nears, we students long for the months of nothing. No papers due, no school to attend, nothing difficult or thought provoking, simply silence, calm, and relaxation. Before we reach this time of rest, we must cross the firing line of tests. SATs, ACTs, subject tests, and final exams all block our path to freedom.

The True Test

By Blaise Gervais
Burlington High School, Grade 9

TEST TAKING

My pencil, sharpened
Stands at attention,
Ready to destroy any problems
that dare misbehave
by proving difficult, tricky,
or otherwise disagreeable.

My unruly hair has been pulled back-
for the moment;
The boisterous wisps are straight-jacketed,
Unable to cause any unwanted distraction.

My shoes are comfortable,
But my big right toe taps nervously,
Like an eager hummingbird batting its wings
In anticipation of a delicious flower.

My contacts are in their place,
Like the shiny tinfoil that envelops chocolates
I don’t really need them,
But it can never hurt to actually see the test.

The test gets passed out
Like a football player
before a game in the rain.
A crisp white uniform, impeccably clean.
What a pity it will soon be covered
With my countless muddy,
grass-stained answers.

I feel like I am throwing hits
at a heavy leather punching bag.
I clobber it with all my might,
Yet it just swings listlessly back and forth,
Like a corpse that has just been hung.

I come to a problem I don’t know the answer to
I feel like I am stranded in a vast desert
without any landmarks.
My friends all have maps
but that will lead straight to a detention- or worse.

Now my colorful, foil-wrapped eyes
seem to be developing a will of their own.
Pulling my head like a dog on a leash.
Embodied by my hands, my conscience holds my head in place,
Staring blankly at the little black marks;
Ants that are ruining my picnic.

Before I can rationalize, any stupid decisions
I put my name on each page
and PASS it forward.
Now I have PASSed the true test.

Purpledeep

By Bridget Iverson
Mount Mansfield Union High School, Grade 9

Bent over the typed
pages,
deciphering and
deciding:
what goes here?
Blanks stay
blank, questions
remain unanswered and he
dredges through a
purpledeep pool of the almost-known
(slipping through the too-wide
holes of his borrowed net).
Maybe it's--there--a
ripple, a swirl
of dark water,
barely out of reach--
slides through his reaching fingers
(mind)
grasping blindly at
nothing.

The Petrifying Test

By Phoebe Plank
Ferrisburgh Central School, Grade 6

The clock ticks…
My hands clench…
Am I running a fever?
My hand rises in a panic
The dull drab face
Of the teacher is
Instantly in mine
“Bathroom please?!”
Practically
Running to the restroom
Right up to the mirror
I’m looking at pale
Ghostly fingers
Touching a flushed face.
Reluctantly
my feet
Drag me back to my desk…
Petrified
I begin the TEST.

The Test

By Lindsay Swanson
Ferrisburgh Central School, Grade 6

I sit
waiting
heart thumping,
and soft,
clammy hands
clenched.
Foot taps
repeatedly
against the floor.
Papers are
passed.
Confusion masks
many faces.
And then,
an idea!
Hand shoots up…
“Um, stomach ache?”

I don’t really like tests. The SATS are a big test. I didn’t really like them very much. I don’t really think they reflect how smart someone is. I don’t think that any test reflects how smart someone is. They often reflect how well someone pays attention in class. But this certainly does not reflect how smart someone is.

By Adrian Audette
Edmunds Elementary School, Grade 4

Test
Test
I hate that test
Test
Test
You're such a pest
Test
Test
I want to rest
Test
Test
I am depressed
Test
Test
I am done with that test!

Time is of the essence
Evaluation up coming
Studying will no longer help you
The test is about to begin