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Mason Dreischarf

Prof. Flores

English 1101-50

30 November 2018

Test Day

Just about every student has had a point in their life in which they have struggled

with something, whether it be a minor worksheet, homework, or a huge test. Often,

students become discouraged or dumbfounded when presented with school work that is

unclear or seemingly beyond their capabilities. Students who strive to obtain the best

grade possible are often stressed to the point of breaking down and crying. This was my

experience in the second grade.

I have always strived to be “smarter” than my older sister, Madison, and my

second-grade mentality told me that grade reports were the best measure of

“smartness”. As a result of this, I was obsessed with getting a perfect grade on each of

my assignments. It was in Mrs. Corder’s social studies class that I realized I was going

to have to work really hard and give my full attention in order to earn the grade I

desired. That week we were discussing state symbols; for example, the state bird,

capital, flag, flower, etc. This required proper listening and memory skills in order to

succeed. Despite my obsession with perfection, I found it difficult to maintain a level of

seriousness. As a result, I would occasionally goof around with my friends, like most

seven to eight-year-old kids. However, this particular week is when it came back to bite

me.
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I sat close to a good friend, Preston, and when we were together we had a

tendency to get into trouble. Laughing hysterically, we passed each other drawings that

we made. Eventually, Mrs. Corder, now fed up with our horsing around, had to stop the

class and demand, “Preston and Mason, be quiet before I have to separate you two!”

Embarrassed by getting called out in front of the whole class, we silently slid lower into

our seats. After calming down and focusing on the material, I realized that I missed

quite a bit. I assumed that I would be fine, and I could simply review with some of my

other classmates later. Except, Mrs. Corder said, “Alright kids, be sure to study tonight

for your test over the state symbols tomorrow.” Suddenly, I looked straight to Preston,

stunned, and he did the same.

Once the bell rung, indicating class change, I went over to Preston asking, “Did

you pay attention at all for the test tomorrow?” He looked at me showing no sense of

urgency because, as a second grader, he didn’t care as much for his grade. He said,

“No, but I’m sure it won’t be that hard of a test.” I believed him and didn’t really think

about it that much for the rest of the day.

The next day, I came into Mrs. Corder’s class and sat down. We did the usual

talking before the last bell rang for us to sit down and be quiet. Once it rang, Mrs.

Corder told the class, “Okay kids, I hoped you guys studied and are prepared for this

test today.” I looked around desperately wishing for a quick review to help me get ready

for this test; although, I knew Mrs. Corder has never done this for the class before.

Mrs. Corder began to pass out the packets of paper. As I received mine, I noticed

quickly a big difference from this in comparison to others that I have taken. On this

occasion, I saw questions on the test that left me clueless. I look over at Preston and
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whisper, “I have no idea what the answers are.” He nodded in agreement. Mrs. Corder

shouted, “Be quiet, if I see any cheating I will take your tests and give you guys zeros.”

The entire class became silent and began working. As I was going through the test, I

was able to answer quite a few questions because some of the material was taught to

us a few days before. But with the questions that were taught to the class the day

before, they left me clueless. I tried asking Mrs. Corder for help, but she was not going

to give me the answer as I hoped for. Eventually, I accepted the fact that I might miss a

few questions and I decided to just give them my best guess. I turned my test in.

That next day, I was anxious to see what the grade was that I received. Keep in

mind, I was just a second-grade student and I have never been given anything lower

than an A. As Mrs. Corder began handing back our results, I heard a bunch of students

saying, “Wow! I got a 96!” “I got a 100!” Instantly, I felt relieved and thought I would be

getting a much better grade than I had recently predicted. As I reached out and grabbed

my test, I felt like I was punched in the stomach. My life was ending. I was given a C. All

I could think about was how I was going to prove to my parents that I still was “smarter”

than Madison.

I got off the bus, tears streaming down my face. I threw the door open, quickly

explaining to my mom what happened. I exclaimed, “Mom! I was not paying attention in

class yesterday. I got a C on my test.” My frantic mother, realizing why I am crying,

chuckled. She explained to me that a C on one test is not bad. This was not the end of

the world, and she told me that she was proud of me for realizing my faults. She told me

to remember this the next time I decided to goof off in class.

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From there on out, I have always been cautious of fooling around in class,

especially when the teacher is talking. I realize now that a C is not the end of the world,

in fact, some students strive to get that grade. Even if I do get a bad grade on

something, I could always just do even better on the future assignments to make up for

my previous poor performances.