A few weeks ago, I was sent to proctor the National Examination out to other school. So there I was, feeling so strange sitting in front of around 20 strange students in a strange class with a partner who was a stranger from other school.
I did not like the feeling when the silence was in the air, 20 pairs of eyes were staring at me when I was reading aloud the institutional setting of the examination. It’s funny though, I spend my time from Monday to Friday in a class where most of the time I will need to sit face to face with the students, or even stand up while explaining something loudly. Many times I even attract the students’ attention by all means. But at that time, I wish I could do disapparate-thingy so I did not have to be there. It was not because I was nervous, It was because I could feel the students were nervous.
I did not like when one of the student put his hand up and frightened, showed me how he made his answer sheet a bit-bit-bit dirty.
I did not like when the other student put her hand up with the other hand was trying to wipe blood from her nose. When I held her, her hands were as cold as ice.
I did not like when I caught some students who tried to cheat.
I did not like when I finally had to remind them softly.
I did not like when I saw some of them got burned out.
I did not like when the students keep on wiping their sweaty hands with tissue. Nervous.
I did not like when I was fail trying to make them to be more relax.
I wish the word ‘examination’ could even be friendlier. I’m not against examinations, assessments or any other kind of tests. I’m just wondering why can’t we have more suitable examinations where numbers will be replaced by a more comprehensive data showing the track record of the students’ learning style and their progress of learning.
By having those things, I guess no one will be so frightened to be disqualified only because of a (bit) dirty-thingy in his answer sheet. No one should ever got a nose bleeding or even sweaty hands because of nervous, no one should be cheating because everybody’s answer will be considered differently as they should be indeed. No one will have the same answer because everybody is unique.
Ah, what kind of fool I am, I know that would be too much work to be handled. I could be naive, but I wish one day we will have it.
Because I know how it feels like, giving a certain score to a person who does not even deserve, just because the paper tells me to.
