This is what I was thinking about as I walked around a classroom of 20+ eighth graders who were taking this year’s state test.
Here are the logistics of this treadmill:
- It’s set at 0.5 miles per hour
- There are no TVs, there is no music, and there is no other aural or visual stimulation
- You are on this treadmill for between 4-8 hours, depending on the day
- This walk can last, in some places, up to two weeks. (For me, it’s a week and a half.)
I cannot tell you how incredibly boring administering the state test is. One of the things I love about being a teacher is the time I spend engaging with adolescents. So a week and a half of essentially not talking to anyone all day just stinks.
And this is just me as a teacher. Imagine how stressful it is for the students.
Can you imagine being on a treadmill going that slow for eight hours a day? If you were on that treadmill, what might you think about?
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