Psychoanalyzed!

Yep, been 4 whole days since I've been back here. Feels a lot like one big ol' long day to me, though! I'm currently living in a fog. What little sleep I get is filled with bizarre dreams about contextual factors, learning goals, and objectives... all just a bit skewed and strange. Dreams are just nuts. Ah well...

I had the distinct pleasure of taking the Gallup TeacherInsight Assessment today. This is basically a timed psychological screening that is research-based and is supposed to determine whether prospective teachers will be "very good" or "excellent" by the particular way they respond to a bunch of statements. (Gee...for some of these, they actully give you a whole 20 seconds to submit an answer! Think fast, baby!) You're not supposed to 'over-think' your answers... just answer "from the heart" as our principal, Peg, instructed me to do. I have taken another exam of this nature during my coursework at WGU--the Haberman Pre-Screener. Okay, well, I "passed" the Haberman... but I was less than enthusiastic about my score. In fact, being one who wants the "4's" on the rubric, I was pretty discouraged about the areas I scored "low" in. What!? Took a bit of the wind out of my sails, actually! It's just that those questions could be taken in other contexts... and some of the answers aren't really one's I would have chosen. Hardly seems right to have some little 'test' tell others the kind of teacher I will be or the person that I am.

So, obviously, I was not really thrilled to have to subject myself to this sort of thing all over again. But it's over.... done. Just waiting to hear if I bombed it or not... Haha! Of course, being the ever-curious one that I am, I wanted to see what others had to say about this particular exam. (Because Google is my friend, you know!) Let's just say that I'm no more encouraged by what I've been reading than I was before. Yikes.... seems this test is used by a lot of districts throughout the country, and it's cost a lot of people a position. Joy.

Well.... cross your fingers people.... did she pass??


[edit]

While you can’t really study for the questions, TeacherInsight is an important part of your job application process, so you should approach it seriously. As in a personal interview, you will be asked questions about yourself and how you might handle certain situations. Don’t over-think the questions; just give your honest, top-of-mind responses as there are no trick questions. We recommend you get a good night’s sleep and arrange to have at least 45 uninterrupted minutes for the interview. Make sure you are using a computer in good working order with a stable Internet connection. Finally, be sure to read the questions carefully before responding. In particular, read the scale on the Likert questions to ensure you are answering the way you intend.

A good night's sleep!? What's that?