Test...Success

I found out Tuesday (at school) that I passed my "EC-4 Generalist" test!! (This certifies people to be able to teach early childhood up to fourth grade, and questions cover content as well as situations and how to approach problems, design lessons, and teach material.) The magic number to pass is 240, and the best you can get is 300. I got a 276, and I was VERY happy with that! It is actually a tough test, and it's very lengthy. (You are allowed five hours, but I took just a little over two...but that is still a long time to have to focus so hard, and it is a lot of reading.
When I got my results back and finished jumping up and down, my teacher left and went to Sonic to get us all drinks to celebrate! They were so happy for me, and with me...it was a great feeling! In fact, we all went to dinner together tonight. I am so lucky to love my coworkers!

The next test I take is called the PPR. It stands for Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility. Whereas the last test is more about the "what" of teaching, this is geared to the ethics and laws and "rules" of teaching. I am not as worried about this one. Everyone says "don't imagine what you'd do in a real classroom, but instead think of the "ideal world." I will be taking this test in the next few weeks.
Those are the only 2 tests that I am required to take for my degree in Elementary Education. Since I KNOW that I don't want to teach elementary, I plan on taking a few more tests after I graduate. I will FOR SURE take the Special Ed. test, and most likely I will take the Bilingual or ESL test. The only problem is that these tests cost $120 each, plus a lot of stress, and a huge chunk of time. I know it is worth it though, and make me that much more marketable. The more certifications I have, the more people will want to hire me, and the more I will be able to do. :)
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This has nothing to do with state tests, but on the subject of education, I had my formal observation today, by my University Supervisor. She is so sweet and everything went really well. The kids were awesome, and I felt like it was smooth. When we were going over my evaluation, she said "well, I tried as hard as I could to think of three suggestions or areas to improve, but I could not come up with any, so I just wrote three extra compliments in that section." :) This has been a good week!