TEST!

 

I don’t like test. I’ve never been good at test.

A TEST is: a critical examination, observation, or evaluation: trial. specifically: the procedure of submitting a statement to such conditions or operations as will lead to its proof or disproof or to its acceptance or rejection. a test of a statistical hypothesis. (2): a basis for evaluation: criterion.

I went to school. I sat quietly and paid attention to what the teacher was saying. I looked at the books and even took notes.

What I didn’t learn was how to study and retain the information, so when testing day came by, I had no recall of the important answers to the questions.

It wasn’t that I didn’t ‘get’ Greek history as opposed to Roman history (though they looked the same) or accumulating numbers for a sum (but hated Flash Cards) or how reciting Shakespeare or Walt Whitman or versus of the Bible (thought that was a different school) was going to make me smart enough to deal with the world?

Still, I continued to sit in classes, glance at homework, never read the text or learn how to study. Parents where no help except to sign the failing grades and attending Parent / Teachers Conferences to hear I had potential but was not applying myself.

I didn’t care about school.

I guess I squeaked by on enough test to get a piece of paper to state I’d be edubacated.

We take test every day.

When we are applying for employment, we fill out a form and are hired or not by the judgement of the employer. We can’t drive an automobile without taking a test. If we don’t feel well, we have to take test to inform the medical professional what is wrong with us and what category of pills will make it right. We test our taste with trying different foods and drink. We test our presences with our haircuts, clothing and whatever accoutrements for our appearance. We test our relationships with statements and gifts for a hopeful emotional reaction.

Now social media is presenting ‘test’ as games or enticing questions to get access to our data.