Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Proctoring exams

So the kids are taking their finals. The teacher all proctor the exams. To help minimize cheating the kids are all mixed up; they arent allowed to sit next to anyone in their own class. It takes bout n hour to achieve this.

Then the tests are handed out. This takes another 25 minutes, and is complicated by the fact that often the tests are not all printed out just yet. but eventually everyone has the tests and they can begin.

Thats when the questions begin. Since the 3rd grade cant read, although they are supposed to be able to, after they have tried for a while we read the test to them. They know the answers but they are fairly illiterate. The other grades know how to read, but dont know the words on the test. "what does concept mean?" Then, as you read the test over, you realize that whoever typed it made a lot of errors. A lot.

Proctoring these exams has been sad. tiring and sad. The tests did not get better and the week wore on, and the children did not do better. A few of them found it easy, but for most, well they dont go to school to learn and there is no one at home to explain the value of learning.

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