Summer...Summer.....Summertime..............

Wall Art in the calming area of my classroom

So I have officially finished my first school year. This year has been filled with challenges and I spent a lot of time working on school related stuff associated with the GTAPP program that I am in, which in the end will leave me with a certification in Art Education. On top of all the requirements for GTAPP I also have been learning about all the paperwork associated with Special Education. Wow it has been a lot, but I have really learned a lot.

Now I am moving on this summer and focusing on passing the Art Education Gace which is the test you need to pass here in the state of GA. This whole year I spent studying for the Basic Skills Math portion of the GACE. I could not pass it. I failed three times and those tests are not cheap. I had to take it because 15 years ago in high school I never cared enough to take my SAT's more than once and got a terrible score the first time. No college that I ever went to ever asked me for the scores of my SAT's and now only this year was I required to even find out and turn in my scores for the SAT's. I hate tests and never have been a good test taker. So this year when I found out that I had gotten into the GTAPP program and would secure an awesome job but would have to take the Basic Skills test which involved all the Math I learned through high school because I did terrible on my SAT's, I was not happy.

I studied for months while learning all the things you learn coming into education without a formal education background and boy was it hard. I used Khan Academy and Quizlet for months all while using the study guides taken out from the local library.

When the fourth time came around to take the test I was so nervous, but I was focused. I was determined to pass the test. Any time you take the GACE tests and they can be scored immediately they give you the unofficial score at then of the test. Now the thing to know about the Basic Skills Test is that you need to at least get a passing score of 250. All other tests you can either get a 220 or a 250 and still pass. If you get either of the scores,it just credits you to the specific level depending on your score. This time around I got a 251. I passed by one point after failing that specific section three other times. That onepoint that is all it took. Then it was done.

Student artwork

So with that I am relived that this school year is over and I will have time to focus on Art, studying art, making art, all the things I had to put off this first year in teaching because after I was done with one thing another thing came up relating to school. Hopefully this summer will allow for the art to flow.