The First Day of School

Isn't it amazing that after so many years that the first day of school still causes me to lose sleep!  I could hardly sleep because of the excitement!  The day lived up to the excitement with students and parents coming in droves with bags and bags of school supplies.  Many mothers left their happy kindergarten students with a tear in their eye, or telling themselves out loud, "I promised myself I was not going to cry!"

The cafeteria was a bit of a mess, but because of some fabulous, flexible teachers, the mess was easily resolved.

The only problem ~ not really a problem, but a kernel of a problem.  A teacher, who has difficulty following directions, came and asked me if the district was going to give a diagnostic test.  I told her that I had not heard.  She then asked if she could give her own diagnostic.  This is where the problem occurred.

• I told her that the new math series had a diagnostic test online because another teacher told me about it. But, if the district came out with another diagnostic test, she would be required to give it to her students, and we didn't want to over test the students on the first week of school.

• She said that it would require her to have more computers in her room than she has. 

•  I told her that she could borrow them from the library.

• She then said that she was thinking about a paper pencil test to see where her students were.  She told me that she wanted an end of first grade test.

• I told her that I had the one that we gave last year, and quickly pulled it up on my computer.

• She told me that she saw that one on the internet from another state. 

• I informed her that she didn't, because I made the test myself last year.  I then handed her the printed copy of the test.  I am curious if she will give the test to her class or not.

Here is my problem.  If she was already planning on doing something else, why bother coming to talk with me about it?  IF you come and talk to me about it, why argue about everything?

This was the problem last year, she would try to get ahead of what I was trying to show her team, and then told me she already knew the information, or had a plan.  Her scores showed that she needs to slow down and listen.  How do I say this in a kind and gentle way????