Reply #108: I teach third grade and just finished giving the math test yesterday: Listen up:

[callous taoboy]

Despite pouring every ounce of energy into my job, despite not being out once this year, and despite giving my three lowest math students hours of extra individual tutoring attention, those same three students yesterday finished their tests in one hour.
One fucking hour! As they checked their bubbling in front of me I could not help but notice that they showed absolutely no work on their tests. In other words, they performed exactly as they have all year: abysmally. They likely failed the test. My top math students, on the other hand, worked all day on the test and they had notes written all over them. They did their work.

WHY IN THE HELL should I ever be penalized for the work of students that either just don't get the importance placed on these tests, or they just don't give a fiddler's fart how they do? WHY?