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?