MIAMI – It is the first day of Florida Standards Assessment testing at Dr. Manuel C. Barreiro Elementary School and the pressure can be nerve-wracking for students.
Jennifer Caram, who part of the third-grade team at the southwest Miami-Dade school, and other teachers came up with a unique visual way to let the kids know that they were going to rock the FSA.
The teachers wrote individualized inspirational messages to each student on their desk.
It’s the first thing the kids saw when they walked in Tuesday and it melted the stress away.
Diego Menendez beamed at what they wrote on his desk.
"It said that my teachers knew I can do good on the test, that I was a very smart student," Diego said.
Justin Martinez said the message on his desk made him smile.
"It said to believe in yourself and be confident," he said.
Alyssa Lopez said the message gave her extra confidence.
"Mine said focus on the test and you will do a great job," she said.
The third-grader teachers spent most of the last teacher workday coming up with ideas for their students and making sure each message was personal.
"As a teacher you get to know about your children and a lot of the messages were specifically for them," Caram said.
Alyssa said the effort meant a lot to her.
"The teachers that I have teach me and believe in me and I know they want me to have a good education," she said.