Keeping Anxiety In Perspective

I teach Sophomore English, and in California that means one big thing: the California High School Exit Exam. This is a test in math and English that all students, regardless of IEP (special education plans) or second-language status, must pass in order to graduate high school.

There have been grumblings for years about high school graduates not having the basic skills they need for college. Universities as distinguished as UC Berkeley bemoaned all the students they had to place in remedial English and math. Parents and students were shocked to find out how much it costs to take classes that don't count for graduation. And businesses complained that students were coming to them without standard skills in mathematics and communication.

Take social discontent, add political pressure and a fresh shaving of high-stakes testing and voila, the CAHSEE is ready to go.

And this test presents its own weird set of issues. First of all, it's mostly based on middle school standards, so its classification as a "high-school" exam is not entirely accurate. True, students need to pass it, but if they don't pass it as 10th graders, they can take it twice as juniors, and four times as seniors. In addition, most schools offer support programs for students who need help.

However, first-time passage can mean so much to a kid: a big weight lifted, one less thing to worry about, and more room in his or her schedule for college-required courses. So we have endeavored at my school to increase first-time passage and help students take control of their educational destinies.

I have learned, however, that there is a fine line between preparation and panic. Yes, my students need to pass. Yes, it's important. Yes, I do not want to be the one in May to tell them we didn't do enough to get to the required 350 score. But, I don't need to make my panic their panic.

Today, a fellow teacher and I got a bunch of students together, fed them pizza and took them through interactive review for the CAHSEE. It was relaxed. It was social. And, dare I say this, I think they learned something.

So did I.

Learning doesn't need to be painful. Just because something is important, doesn't mean we need to stress. And we can show kids how much we care by being calm and relaxed. Teenagers don't need to hear 40 million times how important their choices are. They really do know.

But they do need tools and strategies. They need to know how to approach an unfamiliar situation with ease and poise. They need to know how to not give up when they can't turn to anyone.

So, if you know a Sophomore, send them some love this month. This is a huge time for them and they need all the support they can get.