Life is a Test by Dawn Life is a test.  Not a test just now or then, but each day, each minute is a test.  It is a time test.  How I use my time, how I react to other, a smile, a frown, a loud, angry voice, a quiet, soft voice all are part of the test.  My test will have been recorded.  The Teacher will then interview me and go over the test scores with me to see how I have done.  My mistakes can only be erased by the Teacher while I are still in the classroom.  They are then gone from the recording.  The test NEVER ENDS or becomes less important until I have left this class. My great Teacher has offered to help me, if I would like the help.  First, He has shown me how to live this life.  There is an example before me on the chalkboard.  Next, He has given me a pattern (the Gospel) to follow; this will help me when I need the details of the test explained.  I can then check my progress and the finer points I might have missed, again and again.  He gives me more detail as I begin to understand the rules, and it makes my test more fun and satisfying.  He gives me treats along the way: the temple and priesthood blessings, to encourage and broaden the concepts of the test. This is not a solitary test taken alone in a room with no one around.  I share the room with my brothers and sisters.  I can get help from the lives they have lived and use them as examples and guides in answering questions.  Part of my assignment is to share what information I have gained, if that information is asked for.  I shouldn’t share if others don’t want or need it.  Sharing my learned experience can cause quite a disturbance if I try to help someone when they are not ready for it.  My Teacher said part of the test is to learn when and how to help.  Everyone in the classroom has the right to answer his or her own questions.  Knowing when and whom to ask for help is part of the test. Children often come into my room to give me more opportunities for greater learning and understanding.  Observing and interacting with them in a positive way can gain me more points on the final score.  This takes extra time and effort but it can help the points add up.  At times it seems I start losing points, but the Teacher is there to help, if I ask, and He gives me extra credit to make up for the loss as long as I continue asking. The classroom isn’t without its problems.  There is a major problem child in the room who often causes great disturbance and tries to keep me from concentrating on my studies.  He even tries to erase the chalkboard and scribbles in false information.  He makes me feel the test is too hard, or that I need to stop and play for awhile, forgetting what I have learned thus far.  The Teacher, being the authority in the room, will only let that problem child go so far, and then he is stopped.  I can then return to my studies, trying to forget what the problem child put on the board, and hoping that the misinformation hasn’t made too much of an impression on me. But if I don’t get help from the Teacher after being disturbed from my studies, I could really be confused and discouraged.  I may simply want to quit and sit quietly in my seat and do nothing, or I will become a whisperer and disturber to others in the room because I feel lost. The best way to start each day in the classroom is to go to the Teacher, thanking him for the help that has already been received, and asking for His help that day, so that when He calls roll, He knows that I am there and ready to listen.  He speaks quietly, so if the room is too noisy or I’m not really listening, I might miss some important steps I need to take that day in my lesson as we move on to the next chapter. Attitude is very important in the classroom.  Some days I really like school; other days I forget to look up to the Teacher and listen as I should.  Then I’m confused, or I get angry with those that are around who are whispering and disturbing.  I forget I am supposed to be helping them.  Then I feel the Teacher’s eyes on me, and I feel guilty if I don’t ask Him for help or forgiveness for my own lack of concentration or for the disturbance I have caused.  Other days I dream a lot, and my productivity goes down as far as my test is concerned. Every day in the classroom is different, and I am learning to adjust.  The problem child in the room and the whisperers aren’t quite so annoying.  Learning by observing the children has helped me a great deal with many of my test questions.  I sometimes don’t hear the Teacher when He talks quietly, and I miss a few important helps; but I am learning more and more how to listen closer.  I do my homework each night by reading the manual (scriptures).  That seems to give me much more understanding for the next day in class and helps to clear my brain. Each night I also thank the Teacher for the help He has given me for that day.  He then encourages me to get my rest and tells me that He will be ready for me whenever I need Him, even in the night.  The teacher never sleeps.  I am very grateful for such a Teacher who knows me so well and cares for me so much that He never calls in sick or asks for a substitute to cover His classes.  He reminds me each day that He will keep teaching me and be there to help me with solutions to every problem I have until my test is completed.  I just love my Teacher.