Testing Success

Long before the birth of No Child Left Behind, students have suffered test anxiety. Workplace testing is no exception. My husband works in an industrial job that must comply to its own set of standards for safety as well as OSHA standards. On occasion, usually annually, all employees are required to watch a video about some aspect of their duties and then take a test upon the content of the video. Even as a teacher I did the same annual process for knowing what to do with blood-borne pathogens. Each time I was tested, and my husband has been, and my students are tested, the discomfort immediately begins.

Common Responses to Testing
1. Anger, thinking the material is not important and the testing process is a waste of time.
2. Stress, including fear of failure.
3. Misplaced anger, blaming the enforcer of the testing for all the tester does not know and does not like about the test.

Solutions to Testing Anxiety
1. Know that rarely do tests matter in themselves as much as the knowledge the test addresses. Know that tests are just a tool to see what you know about a particular subject. They are not designed to make a fool of you or to humiliate anyone.
2. Ask yourself: A year from now, will it matter if you passed the test the first time you took it? In most cases, it does not and second or even third chances are given if need be because mastery of the information is key, not the assessment device.
3. Do you have time to study or prepare? If so, use it wisely. Some business tests, such as employee handbook and ethics tests are purposely created to allow the tester to view the material being tested upon during the test itself!

What matters most in testing is to recall it is one tool to assess your knowledge and proof you've had the opportunity to learn the material at hand. Everyone wants to be successful, and your employers and teachers also want you to know the material. Approach the process with an open mind and you'll get further faster, and possibly never have to take that particular test again.

Habits Worth Keeping - Persistence

According to Discovering and Exploring Habits of Mind, Edited by Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick, the very FIRST habit you should develop and retain is persistence.

Without persistence you are more likely to not complete your tasks, achieve desired results, or make new inroads in all areas of life. When Peter Pamela Rose auditioned for Guildhall, she wasn't the only student. In fact, over one thousand students auditioned for one of 24 spots. Did she give up? No. In fact, she went with the knowledge that if she got in her father said he'd pay for it. Then she gave it her all, and she got in. 

So, how does this apply to you if you don't want to go into acting and have no intention to be an inventor?

Persistence applies to your social life, work and education. If you go to an evening concert and see an attractive person you'd like to date, but someone else is close to them, do you give up? Say hello? Ask for a date? It all depends upon your persistence level. 

When I met my spouse, Brandon, I figured we were so opposite that it would never work. I persisted in listing the qualities of what I felt a kind, loving, reliable, trustworthy spouse would be and we continued to spend time together as friends. I also went on a few dinner dates with other men. Then BAM! One of the guys, who I'll call Joe, who kept calling revealed not only was he a smoker (something that my body could not handle long-term due to allergies) but Joe was an ex-con and had been convicted for a crime that could ruin my career if we'd been associated as a couple. I ran away from that one just in time. Shortly after, Brandon got over his shy ways and opened up to his true personality. We're headed to our six anniversary in February. 

Persistence can get you the skills you need for your dream job by finishing the required training in record-time with good grades. It can help you get a raise by consistently achieving your goals and shining in front of the brass. Additionally, your life will be better for it. As one colleague likes to say, "Done is beautiful." Don't worry about perfection. Having a degree in hand is all most employers look for. Even in Med School, the person at the "bottom" of the class is still called "Doctor."

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post edited due to reporting error, republished with correction

Blogging and Your Role as a Student or Employee

Blogging is so popular that you might believe that no one will ever see your work other than a few close friends and random followers. Did you know your company's public relations firm might be trolling for comments about your place of employment? Those comments you make about a classmate might wind you up not only in the principal's office but expelled?

Yes, in America we have the right to "free speech" but that right does not extend to slander or libel. If what you say infringes upon someone else's right to do business or lead a life unencumbered by harassment, you may wind up in court.

Perhaps discretion is the better part of valor (thank you Mr. Shakespeare). Think before you blog, or send an e-mail or any other communication that vents about others. If you hurt their livelihood or cause a disturbance that keeps business-as-usual from happening, you may pay more dearly than the original incident you're venting about it worth.

Dress Code - Why it exists

We all had a dress code of some kind in our schools and workplace. The big question is, "Why?" Logic says that improper dress reflects poorly upon the wearer and the school or business, as first appearances have a strong value around the world. If it didn't, fashion wouldn't be such a commodity. Some business and schools want everyone to look similar for unity. Others want uniforms to protect clothing, or to make it impossible to discern the income of the wearers. This can sometimes backfire if a uniform is required but there are no restrictions on footwear, jewelry or handbags.

Should there be more restrictions when we live in a democracy and some see their appearance as freedom of speech?
I believe, for the most part, restrictions or regulation of any kind usually exists because someone, somewhere messed up. If you're working for another entity or going to school, your rights come secondary to safety and the message you are allowed to carry in that space. For example, a student who wears a T-shirt that is emblazoned with a message about consuming alchohol when that child is underage and in a position to advertise that message to his or her peers, is usually in violation of dress code and will be asked to at least turn the shirt inside out for the day. Unless you go to school in Gonzalez, Texas, and you might be asked to wear a jumpsuit like prisoners wear (only not in orange).

Why Adults Have Dress Codes
Other than the same reasons given above, the quick answer: Law suits. Really. Sexual harassment is tops on the list but when a woman is given the message from the fashion and entertainment world to dress like the characters in Sex in the City, or she's not trendy enough, what can she do? Layers. Keep cleavage to a minimum, don't show those panty lines or worse, that thong each time you sit down, and cover up on the job. When you're on your own or with your pals, then you can show that skin, but not when it will distract others from doing their job or give a jerk an (albeit lame) excuse to target you. Our court systems are not usually progressive and, ladies, there are some low-brainwave judges out there that will fault you for looking your sexy best if a predator strikes, even though it has been proven repeatedly that appearance has nothing to do with attacks. (it is all about power over another.) In fact, for your safety, maybe you should do that '80s power walker look to get into and from the office, and slide those heels on when you get to your desk.