This is something I wrote during an exam season. The idea came to me while invigilating an exam and after that it was just a matter of going home and putting down some of those thoughts on (virtual!) paper.
It’s that time of the year again. The testing time for students, parents and teachers alike. The dreaded Exam Season is upon us. This conjures up images of classrooms full of students hunched over papers, while stern faced teachers pace the aisles. Fans circulate in the stuffy air and the minutes tick relentlessly away. When the final bell goes there is a collective sigh of relief, or despair and students flock to the door, chatting animatedly as they head home to prepare for the next exam.
As a teacher, I can safely say that invigilating exams can sometimes be as entertaining as watching paint dry. You’re looking at 3 hours of being cooped up in a room with nothing to do apart from handing out distributing and collecting papers and giving out extra sheets. Or so it seems.
Actually, this is just part of the picture. There’s a lot more going on in these classrooms than meets the eye… beneath the surface of all that diligent writing lurks action, drama, suspense and a whole lot of comedy!
The initial challenge we teacher-invigilators usually face is to keep ourselves awake after the first 15 minutes have passed. Our options are extremely limited. Gazing out of the window is a no-no. So is day-dreaming or reading. We are not even supposed to sit. Which is why the first thing I do is to survey the room for a vantage point from where I can stand (or lean!) and observe the entire class. It makes a change from patrolling the aisles a few hundred times.
Next, since we’re not to indulge ourselves by looking out of windows, the only alternative is to look around the class. And that’s where the fun begins.
Any teacher with half a brain knows that identifying potential troublemakers at the start of an exam is Top Priority. Careful note must also be made as to where they are seated, next to whom and how easy/difficult it may be for them to ‘use unfair means’ (more simply-to cheat), during the exam. Once that is done, the teacher can settle down and observe the remaining students. Apart from The Troublemakers, there are several others types:
The Writers: these are usually few in number. Once they begin writing, they look up only when they have completed the task. They’re also the ones who ask for extra sheets, causing others to look suspiciously or resignedly at them.
The Fidgeters: they’re the ones who can’t keep still. From dropping pens to spilling the contents of their pencil box to nudging and elbowing their partners for space, they keep themselves very busy. In between the fidgets they also write.
The Sigh-ers: they’re probably unprepared or up against a subject which is not their forte. From time to time they heave sighs in the hope that the mental fog will clear and enlightenment will dawn. They also frown in concentration or stare fixedly into space as if some solutions may be found there.
The Sneak-Peekers: my personal favourites, these are the ones to watch out for. Next to The Troublemakers, they’re capable of making a teacher wish she had a few more pairs of eyes and a rotating head. They shoot surreptitious glances all around the room, grin slyly and knowingly at their friends seated two rows or several benches away. They tap fingers against their cheeks or chins and raise their eyebrows questioningly as their heads bob in all directions like on a spring. And they turn into Sigh-ers if the teacher directs a basilisk stare their way. The Sneak-Peekers have provided me with several moments of fun and entertainment. In addition to keeping me on my toes!
The Chatterers: they range from the mildly annoying to the intensely aggravating. It all depends on the frequency and quality of the chatter. They’re the ones who repeatedly ask the time, have problems with some of the questions, need pens/pencils, want to visit the washroom and pass comments every time the Writers ask for extra sheets. Sometimes they gang up with the Troublemakers and this combination can make the best of teachers pull out what’s left of her hair.
Oh, it’s a battle of wits and nerve out there! I have seen teachers emerge after exams looking as though they’ve been put through a wringer. At other times they come out looking triumphant; obviously the Troublemakers have been bested. Until the next time. Who says invigilating for exams is a dull job?!
butterfliesonmymindblog 