Last Tuesday, I caught myself snapping at little Jayden for dropping his pencil. His pencil. The poor kid looked at me like I'd grown three heads, and honestly, I felt like I had. That's when I knew my testing season stress was bleeding all over my classroom, and my kids were starting to absorb it like little anxiety sponges.

Sound familiar? We're three weeks out from FAST testing here in Florida, and I can feel that familiar knot forming in my stomach. Twenty-two years of teaching, and I still get that "what if my kids don't show what they know" panic. But here's what I've learned the hard way: our stress is contagious, and our kids catch it faster than whatever bug is going around the cafeteria.

Your Stress Has a Megaphone

Kids are like emotional detectives. They notice when we're checking our watch every five minutes, when our smile doesn't quite reach our eyes, when we're drumming our fingers during read-aloud.

I remember my third year teaching (ay, dios mio, what a disaster that was), I was so wound up about state testing that I turned my classroom into a boot camp. Silent lunch prep. Extra worksheets. The whole nine yards. My principal had to pull me aside and gently suggest that maybe, just maybe, my kids were more stressed about my stress than they were about the actual test.

She was right. My anxiety was creating more problems than it was solving.

The Airplane Oxygen Mask Rule

You know how flight attendants tell you to put your own oxygen mask on first? Same principle applies here. We can't calm our kids down if we're internally screaming.

I've had to get real about my own testing season triggers. Mine usually hit around 2 AM when I'm lying awake wondering if I taught enough, if Marcus understood fractions, if Sofia will remember her strategies. Carlos always knows when FAST season is coming because I start reorganizing closets at midnight and making lists of lists.

Here's what actually helps me: I give myself permission to feel stressed for exactly ten minutes each morning. I set a timer, worry about everything, then move on. Sounds silly, pero it works.

Creating Your Calm Classroom Toolkit

Start with your morning routine. I play the same soft music every day starting two weeks before testing. Nothing fancy, just instrumental stuff that makes everyone's shoulders drop a little. Kids start to associate those sounds with safety and routine.

Check your language. Instead of "You NEED to remember this for the test," try "This is one of those helpful strategies you already know." See the difference? One creates pressure, the other builds confidence.

Build in more movement. Stressed kids are wiggly kids. I've started doing two-minute dance breaks between subjects. Yes, even in fourth grade. Especially in fourth grade. Yesterday we did the floss to practice our multiplication tables, and honestly, it was the most focused they'd been all week.

The Power of Honest Conversations

Sometimes we need to name the elephant in the room. I had a student, Emma, who started having stomachaches every morning the week before testing. Instead of pretending everything was normal, I gathered my class on the carpet and said, "Hey, I notice some of us are feeling nervous about the test coming up. That's totally normal. Want to talk about it?"

The flood gates opened. Turns out half my class thought the test would determine if they passed fourth grade (it doesn't). Three kids were worried their parents would be disappointed. One thought he'd have to take it over and over until he got it right.

We spent twenty minutes just clearing up misconceptions and sharing strategies. Best twenty minutes I've spent all year.

Your Emergency Calm-Down Plan

When you feel your stress starting to show, here's my go-to plan:

Take three deep breaths. Not kidding. Right there in front of your kids. They need to see that adults have feelings too and know how to handle them.

Lower your voice. When we're stressed, we tend to get louder. Do the opposite. Whisper your next instruction. Watch how quickly the room settles.

Ask for help. "Friends, Mrs. Santos is feeling a little overwhelmed right now. Can you help me by showing me your best listening ears?" Kids love being helpers, and it redirects everyone's energy.

Change the plan. If your lesson isn't working and everyone's wound up, ditch it. Read a funny book instead. Do some yoga stretches. The world won't end if you don't finish page 47 today.

Remember Why We're Really Here

Here's the truth: our kids will remember how we made them feel during testing season way longer than they'll remember their actual scores. They'll remember if we believed in them or if we made them feel like their worth was tied to a number on a screen.

I keep a sticky note on my computer monitor that says "They already know enough." Because they do. Our job isn't to cram more information into their heads in these final weeks. Our job is to help them feel confident about showing what they already know.

You've Got This (And So Do They)

Testing season is hard on all of us. We want our kids to succeed, we want to prove we're good teachers, and we want to show that our school is doing right by our community. That's a lot of pressure for anyone.

But remember: you've been preparing your students all year long. Not just for a test, but for life. You've taught them to think, to problem-solve, to persevere when things get tough. Those lessons matter more than any score.

Take care of yourself these next few weeks. Get enough sleep (I know, easier said than done). Eat something other than coffee and stress for breakfast. And give yourself the same grace you'd give your most struggling student.

Our kids need us to be their calm in the storm, not another source of wind and rain. You can do this, and more importantly, they can too.