I work very hard to provide my students with a comfortable testing environment so they can do their best. I carefully choose where to sit each student, (remembering that this one likes to be by the door and placing the pencil tapper across the room from the one who struggles to focus), desks are rearranged to allow for more elbow room and free corners for oversized feet to be stuck into while nervous knees bounce up and down, signs are placed on the door reminding others to be quiet, lights are turned on or off depending on the group...and so goes the list. I always knew that my behavior and attitude played a big role in the environment and so I ensured that I was attentive, available, quiet, and relaxed, but I never really thought about the specifics of what my hands were busy doing while my brain and voice were conducting the business of testing. I thought that by sitting quietly I would be enhancing the testing environment, but my students saw it differently. It turns out they like it when I am busy with multiple tasks and find it comforting to see their teacher doing "teachery" things as they work.
I ended up respondng to this request by picking up the Australia compound word puzzles (Alexander's Terrible Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) that were only partly cut out and continuing to cut. My hand may have cramped up, but I didn't mind; if my cutting out shapes and working on lessons made taking yet another test easier in some way for my students, then I was happy to do it. I will admit though that I am very happy today is the last day of testing for this year, because while I don't mind doing quiet teacher work while they test, I'd much rather be actually teaching and leaving the rest for another time and place, such as my porch swing on a sunny July afternoon.