Once upon a time in a kingdom far away there was a small, country school. This school was a happy place, filled with smiling children, teachers, parents, and administrators. Everyone looked forward to the time they'd spend together at the school because they did great things every day. They sang songs and read stories. They solved problems together and learned about the world around them. They had kickball tournaments and chatted over lunch.
Although the school was a happy place, there was a terrible problem. In a cave nearby there lived a fierce dragon named Testuall. He lived off of other people's fear and stress. His entire existence was based upon sowing the seeds of anxiety. Testuall only came out once each year--during state testing. But whenever he visited the school Testuall tried his best to turn the happy little place into a den of negativity.
One day he soared right into the building and warned the teachers that he was going to cause trouble. He wanted them to be nervous, and they were, but they armed themselves and prepared for battle. They attended planning sessions and training meetings. They assured the students of their readiness, and prepared all the necessary materials. Everyone was ready.
Then the test day arrived. Just as he'd promised, Testuall tried to ruin the school's peaceful atmosphere by wreaking havoc with their new computerized testing system. The administrator stayed calm, ensuring the teachers that they would be victorious over Testuall. The teachers swooped in to reassure the children and ward off further attacks from the dragon.
"Error Code!" Testuall cried out as the first group of students logged in to test, but the mighty testing proctors were ready for his advances. Armed with error code fixes and phone numbers to call in help, they quickly thwarted Testuall's attempts. Over and over, Testuall attacked. He issued a Java update 10 minutes before testing would begin, but the teachers rallied together and updated the lab in record time. He tried cutting the power to the computers, but the savvy teachers solved that problem with a battery back-up and a phone call. Testuall even tried numerous connectivity errors, but still the teachers prevailed. Through it all, the students remained calm and collected, knowing that their teachers would eventually slay the evil dragon Testuall.
As the students finished testing for the day the teachers turned their attention to the beast, intending to end his antics for good, only to see him fleeing the school building like a scared mouse. "Chase him! We can't allow him to get away!" shouted a proctor. But it was too late. Testuall was zooming through the air back to his cave. But as he flew, he turned his head and bellowed, "I'll be back!"
The people of the school knew that Testuall would be back, but they were no longer worried about him. They had prevailed against him this day and knew that the next attack would be even easier to win. Victory was theirs!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Saturday, May 3, 2014
2014-2015 Planner Calendar
Just a quick post to introduce my latest creation: Printable 2014-2015 Planner Calendar. This is part of a larger teacher binder product I'm working on. I absolutely love the colors and think they'll be calming to look at on those hectic days when I practically have to live by my calendar! I can't wait to get started using this.
Check back soon for the completed binder.