For all our talk about Teach for America and kids with guns and low graduation rates, I know what's really on your minds for the next week and a half...

I have been tempted at times over the years to become a teacher myself, but I must say, I don't envy those of you who are administering the MSA. The pressure on schools to produce high scores is extraordinary, and I'm hearing there's also a lot of stress over testing security. For example, kids aren't allowed to have cell phones on them during the exams. Teachers can ask kids to empty their pockets, but they can't physically search them. Then, if it turns out a student does have a cell phone and uses it to cheat, the teacher is held responsible. But with the stakes so high and so much temptation for cheating, it's hard to blame the state for instituting strict test administration standards. 

In the districts that were closed all last week, there's also the issue of how to motivate students on the heels of spring break.

All I can say is, good luck getting through it.