I Still Got It!

This is a toot your horn kind of post...I passed both tests needed for my Bama teaching license on the first try! It's been well over a decade (15 years, I think) since I had to take any kind of a test...and in TN I barely passed their teaching tests when I took them. So of course I was extremely nervous to take these tests-both having reading parts-and be able to pass them. I have not been in a classroom as a student in 14 years, and wasn't sure if I still had the stuff to conquer it. I did do the pre-test practice and, did okay on it. Then it was test day:)

My first test was for my subject-Elementary Education. I was to report on time (7:30am) and it was 2 hours of straight testing. Well, the Praxis people (or AL A&M) were running late and we didn't actually start the test until 9:30. They also wouldn't let us leave early, even if we were done, so by 11:30, I was tired and hungry...and feeling bad for John being at home with the boys on his own. Oh well.

The next Saturday was my teaching in Alabama test, the test Bama requires everyone to take to obtain a license-that involved math, reading, and writing phone messages (yes you read that correctly. You do a lot of phone messaging as a teacher:)) Anyways....This was 3 tests in one, 45 minutes each, and the writing messages was at the end...way too tired to do well on that part. So I did my best and then left town to go see to my Ma who had knee surgery earlier that week.

Now the waiting began. 4 weeks. 4 long weeks. 4 very long weeks.

And then the mail came-a large white envelop marked "Praxis ETS". My fingers trembled (yes they did) as I opened it while waiting for Aidan in car-rider line. Inside was another large this time blue envelope...uh oh. Did I do something wrong? I opened up the blue envelope and discovered...


Again, hate to brag...but this is pretty cool, even for me:)

After the shock wore off, I picked up Aidan and headed home to see if I could download my scores...I did. I scored 194 out of 200, missing only a handful of questions on the entire test (reading area too!) I proudly showed John the certificate (to which he had a standard guy response "Cool") and then called my Ma to tell her. She of all people understands how scared I was re-entering the student arena.

A couple of weeks later I received the AL teacher test scores ...no fancy certificate there-but I did pass all areas (even the writing part-barely) and should soon receive an official AL teaching license. After all the headaches in Clarksville with teaching, you would think I wouldn't be looking forward to getting back into the lion's den...but to tell you the truth...I can't wait!