Jekyll & Hyde From Testing

My administrators know the challenges I face in a dual-role.  When they interviewed me during the summer, I was sold on the idea of coming to my school to work with the adults in the building, integrating technology and supporting literacy efforts.  There was a caveat though.  The other part of the job posting on the district’s website said “Testing Assistant”.  Total misprint. Clerical error. Now I’m constantly battling myself as Jekyll and Hyde.  How many different people are you on a daily basis?

My administrators know the challenges I face in a dual-role.  When they interviewed me during the summer, I was sold on the idea of coming to my school to work with the adults in the building, integrating technology and supporting literacy efforts.  There was a caveat though.  The other part of the job posting on the district’s website said “Testing Assistant”.  Total misprint. Clerical error.  Now I’m constantly battling myself as Jekyll and Hyde.  How many different people are you on a daily basis?  

I’ve finally reconciled the fact that my Dr. Jekyll persona (the Instructional Tech Coach) will be overpowered by the evil Mr. Hyde for the rest of the school year.  I will average one large-scale, high-stakes test per month until we graduate our seniors in June.  And I’m okay with that.  But next year, I need to be just one person.

I can even embrace Mr. Hyde if I must.  I’m not bad at it, I don’t think. I could resign myself to the fact that someone has to manage the operation of this new industry called Educational Testing and it could even be me.  Someone has to do it and why not someone who appreciates what it feels like to be on the classroom side of thing? Why not someone who wants to protect instructional time as much as possible?  That’s not to say that Testing Coordinators who haven’t been teachers don’t get it, but really…I’ve worked with some who didn’t understand the impact from “our side” of the fence.

I’m streamlining processes.  I look at the paperwork with a teacher’s perspective.  I try to make my mandatory meetings as pertinent as possible so teachers can use their planning time for…planning.  By mid-Spring when I’m planning June’s exams, I’ll have a running list of things to do better and things to never do again.  I even know where the Testing Office should be relocated next year to make more sense.  I got this!  As long as Dr. Jekyll isn’t called upon to help someone with her laptop or an app, I can do this!

In homage to my principal, Mr. McDonald, and my amazing faculty and staff members, I created this parody.  I’m not sure whose idea it was – Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde.