gifted.

Today, I proctored the gifted test for half the second grade-- the rest will follow tomorrow.

The gifted test-- which has a more formal name in the form of an acronym-- is a series of pattern and designs that the little darlings have to put together. But here's the catch: this was their first ever bubble test experience. You know what I mean by bubble test: standardized A, B, C, D. Not only did the answers have to be bubbled in, they had to be bubbled in on an answer sheet separate from the test booklet.

Now, to me, the "gifted test" itself is whether or not the kids could figure out the bubbling system.

Think about when you learned how to bubble. You probably don't remember. If you're like me, it just seems second nature to you. But once upon a time, somewhere lost in your memory bank, is a lesson that blew your mind. Seriously, one kid filled in every bubble on the page. Why not? By the time you've carefully selected your answer to a confusing pattern question, make sure you're bubbling in the correct number, and double check that you remember the correct answer-- your tiny second grade brain is drained.

It was a frustrating day of explaining over and over how to do something that seems so natural to me. Equally frustrating is that I have apparently repressed the memory of whoever taught me how to bubble...