Holy proctoring, Batman!

Students are taking 3rd quarter benchmarks. In order to prepare them for the CRCT testing in late April, they set up benchmarks with the same parameters: everyone tests at the same time, proctors in rooms, no movement in rooms, etc. I'm proctoring in a 3rd grade room. Good heavens, what an eye opener. All parents need to come spend a morning in their child's classroom observing. There are 21 students in this room and in the hour I've been in here DURING A MAJOR TEST most of the students have had to be redirected. I see these kids every day during lunch duty so I know many of them tend to be a bit mouthy, but I guess I assumed that they could get their crap together during academic times. I guessed wrong. This poor teacher, and she's a good one, has kids mouthing off to her, arguing, up and roaming the room, making noise, putting their heads down and sleeping...and let's not forget about the whining. It's like a second language for most of them. How do you get to be 8-9 years old with such an overwhelming entitlement attitude?! They are genuinely surprised that they can't do whatever they want to do. And expecting them to be prepared...um, not gonna happen. Most of these kids are wearing designer clothes and shoes yet they can't be bothered to bring in a 10 cent pencil to school.

Love this quote from the teacher: "What are you doing to improve yourself in 3rd grade? There is no test for looking around the room."

Teacher left to take the tests back to the testing center. She was only gone for 10 minutes. The students were supposed to read quietly at their desks but could use the computers to take AR tests as they were available. Here's how I spent that 10 minutes:

"Please open your book." "Who me?" "Is your book open?" "Yes." "Then I'm not talking to you."
"You have to have your eyes on the words for it to count as reading."
"Please stop talking."
"Xxxx, you've been at the computer too long. You are done." "I'm waiting for the password." "I don't have it. You are done. Please return to your seat. " "Daaaaaaang." "Sit down and read." (Student sits at desk mumbling under breath and writing on book cover.) "Please put down the pencil, stop talking under your breath and read." "I read this booooooook!" "I asked you to stop talking. Just open the book and read."
And on and on and on. It is simply unfathomable to me that students in the last half of 3rd grade cannot be told to sit down and read without having to constantly redirect them over and over.

These poor teachers...