Tuesday, February 21, 2006

I had the hardest time falling asleep on the 20th day of last month. It was a Friday night, and the following morning I was scheduled to take one of the biggest exams prospective teachers must take: the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET). Having spent the previous evening frustrated over some of the content that the different subtests were to cover, when I woke up on Saturday I still wondered if taking the test that day was a good idea. I lacked confidence. I thought, “The hell with it,” got ready and left. Between hating the people who came up with mitosis and those who came up with meiosis, I had myself a good breakfast at my local MacDonald’s. I built up courage as I sharpened my box of pencils, waiting for the MacDonald’s staff to finish preparing my bacon-n-eggs sandwich and strawberry milkshake. I was determined to do my best, and that’s all I could expect of myself.

When I arrived to the testing center, I was still trying to figure out mitosis from meiosis. Soon it didn’t matter. I looked around me and gained confidence when I realized that there wasn’t a single person who looked geekier than me, and for once in my life, it was a good thing. 😀

The testing period itself ran from 8am to 1pm. In five whole hours sitting on my ass, I was able to finish Subtest I (Reading, Language and Literature, History and Social Science) and Subtest II (Math and Science). For Subtest III (Physical Education, Human Development, Visual and Performing Arts), I only bothered to answer the multiple choice questions and looked through the essay questions, that way I’d have a good idea of what to expect on my next attempt taking the test. I had done my best. I was satisfied. As I walked to my car, I knew I could now put the CSET behind me… right next to my concerns for world-hunger and the damage being done to the ozone layer. 🙂

So the test results came in the mail today. It turns out that I must take the CSET again… but this time I only need to pass Subtest III! I passed Subtests I and II on my first attempt! 😀 You’d have to be a prospective teacher to understand just how great that is, so just trust me when I say… fun times!

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