Tests

As my daughters come to the end of a week of midterms, I find myself wondering how it is that they do what they do--ingesting so much information that they then have to spit out during the course of an hourlong exam. They have been remarkably calm about the whole thing. They work hard all year, so perhaps it is not that hard for them. For me, it seems daunting.

It's not that we adults don't have to take tests. Even if we are not in school and studying from textbooks, we are tested multiple times every day. Often, our "scores" are even more important than those on midterms. They determine not just a grade-point average, but things like whether we will get or keep a job, the safety and comfort of our kids, and how we are viewed in the workplace or community. And we don't necessarily get a study period to prepare or a day off once we are done. We just move on to our next day of "testing," hopeful that we will score well when it matters, and at least survive each time.

I applaud my kids for handling the work and the stress of midterms--it is not an easy thing. Perhaps it's good preparation for the "exams" they will face down the road--the tests that will last for the rest of their lives.