Latest / New Teacher Talk / Ep 199: Testing Season Without Losing Classroom Culture

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Ep 199: Testing Season Without Losing Classroom Culture · New Teacher Talk

Welcome to New Teacher Talk,
where we are so fortunate to support those who are new to
the teaching profession,
whether you're working in an urban, suburban,
or rural school.
Each week, we bring you the voices of veteran educators,
many who hold national board certification,
along with new teachers who are already making an impact in
their classrooms.
In today's episode,
you will hear from an up-and-coming first grade teacher
from New York, Abigail Jarrett.
As you know, it's testing season,
and she has some timely strategies to help you navigate
this stretch of the year, and to do that with confidence.
So we hope you enjoy this episode,
and the energy she brings to this very important and timely
topic.
Hello hello hello to my fellow educators and my future
educators.
My name is Abigail Jarrett and I'm a first grade elementary
school teacher here in New York.
Today I'm going to talk about how to navigate testing
season without losing your classroom culture.
And with your new teacher listening right now,
I want you to take a deep breath with me because April,
it's not for the week.
By this time of the year, you are tired,
but not just physically tired.
You are decision fatigued, tired,
emotionally stretched tired.
Am I doing enough tired?
And then testing season arrives, schedules begin to shift,
hallways are silent,
bulletin boards suddenly say things like show it you know.
There are so many emails, there are countdowns,
and whether anyone says it out loud or not,
it can feel like everything you've built all year is being
evaluated.
And here's what I want to center today around.
Testing season should not dismantle your classroom culture,
it should reveal it.
And today I'm going to give you practical strategies you
can use immediately and mindset shifts that will protect
both your students and yourself.
I want you to leave today with three core strategies to
maintain culture before testing,
two morale boosting rituals you can implement tomorrow,
and one mindset shift that will help you breathe easier
this spring.
Now, before we jump into the strategies,
we have to name what happens in April,
because students feel it.
Even if they don't say it, they know.
Trust me.
The day looks different, the adults feel more serious,
the energy feels tighter, and when energy shifts,
behavior shifts.
You might notice students have more increased irritability,
more bathroom requests, sudden tears,
more conflict between students can occur,
or your students will completely shut down.
New teachers sometimes interpret this as defiance or
regression, but often it's anxiety,
and when anxiety increases, regulation decreases.
So instead of asking what's wrong with them, we ask,
what are they feeling?
This shift alone protects your culture.
Now, strategy number one, protect the emotional climate.
During testing season,
your emotional regulation becomes the anchor of the room.
Your tone matters more, your facial expression matters,
your pacing even matters,
because students are scanning you.
If you look stressed, they internalize that stress,
but if you look grounded, they will borrow your calm.
So here's a more practical move that you can implement
starting tomorrow.
Start each testing day with a three-minute grounding
routine.
Not 20 minutes, nothing elaborate, just three minutes.
It could be activities such as fox breathing,
a short affirmation, a quick gratitude circle,
or have students write a sentence about something they've
learned this year.
Why?
Because culture is built in micro moments,
and those three minutes say we are still a community.
This test does not own us.
You might even explicitly say that this test is just one
way to show it, you know, it's not a measure of your worth.
And say it more than once,
students need repetition to believe it.
Strategy number two, keep your core routine sacred.
One of the biggest mistakes new teachers made during
testing season is abandoning their routines.
The schedule shifts, so everything shifts.
But when routines disappear,
students leave their sense of predictability,
and predictability equals safety.
So instead of changing everything, protect your anchors.
Now, I want you to ask yourself this,
what are two or three routines that define my classroom?
Maybe it's a morning meeting, a daily read aloud,
soft music during work time, or even a closing reflection.
If time is reduced, keep at least one ritual consistent.
For example, if testing takes your entire morning,
still do your morning afternoon check-in.
If the schedule feels chaotic,
still greet students at the door the way you always do.
Small consistency communicates this is temporary.
We are still us, and when students feel that stability,
behavior stabilize.
And strategy number three,
separate performance from identity.
Now, I want to talk to you directly,
because testing season can activate comparison and fear in
us teachers.
You may start thinking to yourself,
what if my students don't show growth?
What if I miss something?
What if I didn't do enough?
Let me say this clearly.
You are responsible for preparation.
You are not responsible for performance.
What is preparation, you're my accent?
It's teaching the standards, modeling strategies,
practicing stamina, building confidence.
Performance depends on sleep.
It can be their home life, their attention span,
the design of the test anxiety levels and a dozen other
variables outside of your control.
When you feel the spiral spark, try this reframe.
I showed up consistently.
I adjusted when I needed.
I taught with intention.
This is the work and no data report captures the student
who finally believed in themselves because of you.
Now,
I want to give you two morale boosting rituals you can try.
The first one is encouragement before competition.
Having students write anonymous encouragement notes to each
other before testing begins,
prompts such as remember to breathe,
start with what you know.
You are smarter than you think.
If you read a few each morning before testing starts,
this shift of the culture from pressure changes to
partnership.
Instead of, I hope I score high,
it becomes we're in this together.
Another example is creating a visible space in your
classroom.
Ours is called we did hard things board.
It can be anything that you'd like,
but after each testing day,
add something like stay focused for 90 minutes.
Your strategies didn't give up.
Notice how none of these mentioned scores because effort is
what you control.
When students see progress framed as perseverance,
it shapes how they internalize challenge.
Now,
what do you do when students shut down mid tests because
this will likely happen at least once.
A student puts their head down, they whisper,
I can't do this, and they freeze.
If speaking is allowed, use calm, quiet scripts,
start with what feels easiest.
One question at a time, you don't have to be perfect,
just try.
If speaking isn't allowed, your presence still matters.
Stand nearby, give a soft nod with a smile.
Model calm breathing, regulation is contagious.
Your nervous system can study theirs as well.
Now, when the testing ends for today,
please resist the urge to analyze.
Do not ask your students, how did it go?
Was it hard?
Did you finish?
Instead, say, I'm proud of how you showed up.
You worked incredibly hard.
Then pivot back to joy, read something funny,
do a collaborative activity, give them space to talk.
This reminds them school is bigger than this test.
And that reminder protects your culture long term.
Now,
I wanna give a final reflection for new teachers because
April can make you question yourself.
It's long enough into the year to see your mistakes,
but not far enough to see the full growth.
You may be comparing yourself to veteran teachers.
You may be replaying lessons you wish went differently,
but here's what testing season actually reveals.
It reveals the stamina you built.
It reveals the trust your students have in you.
It reveals whether your classroom feels safe under
pressure.
And if you built relationships, routines, and reassurance,
your culture will still hold.
So as you move through the season, protect your piece,
protect your voice, protect your classroom identity,
because testing season is a moment.
Our culture is the legacy.
And the culture you built matters more than any number
printed on a report.
Thank you for the work you are doing,
especially when it feels unseen.
You are not behind.
You are not failing.
You're in the middle of becoming,
and that is extremely powerful.
You've got this.
Thank you Abigail for sharing these timely strategies.
We are very grateful to share her ideas with you,
our listeners who come from 73 countries and 49 states.
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