I just spent the last week administering TCAP, our state's standardized test. It's a measuremnet tool used to see what our students have learned throughout the year. Are they on target? Have they met the standards? (Are the teachers doing their jobs?) No matter what their stanines turn out to be, I'm convinced my students will do well in life. You see, from a very early age they develop some pretty high level life skills. For example, they know exactly when to add the lower lip quiver to an excuse for not having their homework. Should it be needed, puppydog eyes can be summoned quite effectively when making a request. And stalling tactics, well that's an art children have taken to its highest level. "What was it like when you were a kid, Mrs. Schuh?" asked just as I begin to write the homework assignment on the board, mixed with, "I think I'm having an asthma attack. Will you write me a note so I can go to the clinic?" almost certainly mean no homework.
I'm sure you can add more to this list. As parents, we see it all the time. (Why, I may have used a stalling tactic or two myself.) My next poem, "Beddy-Bye Teddy Gets Lost" was an attempt to capture some precious moments and some very clever stalling techniques.
P.S. I was always onto you, Jamie.
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