We are about to enter state testing season in Texas. The lead up to the big event is a year long process with teachers scurrying to teach all of the knowledge and skills that students will need to do well. In the meantime each school will have selected a testing coordinator who is responsible for the smooth functioning of the distribution of the tests, the environment on testing days, and the expedient return of the testing materials. 

As a coordinator I took part in multiple training sessions outlining my duties. No matter how many times I had been in charge of the process, I still had to attend several classes to be certain that the school was in perfect compliance with all of the rules. After that I had to hold training sessions for every teacher and adult who would be part of the event. There were no excuses for non-attendance. Every “t” had to be crossed and every “i” dotted. The message was quite clear that lack of strict security could result in loss of my certification as a teacher. 

Once the tests arrived from the state I had to pick them up from a central location chosen by the district or they were brought to the school under strict supervision. The tests had to be stored in a secure location that nobody was able access other than me and the principal. Leaving the door open when the tests were inside would lead to a slap on the wrist, or worse. Using a room without a lock might have resulted in even more dramatic consequences for the school and in particular for me. 

It took many hours to check the lists of students expected to take the tests and to pair them with properly numbered testing materials. There was no room for major mistakes on the testing day. Everything had to be prepared far in advance. Trained educators who would provide teachers with needed breaks had to be procured as well, a daunting task since every school in the state was grabbing up everyone who was qualified. 

It was not unusual for me to spend time at the school until ten or eleven at night in the run up to the testing. I had to plan for so many possible scenarios such as one of the trained teachers falling ill on testing day thus leaving a classroom without someone to administer the test. I always kept extra personnel on call to respond to such instances. I had to make provisions for children who got sick, arrived late or became a disciplinary problem. In spite of anticipating virtually every possible scenario something totally unexpected would happen and I had to have a viable plan to address the issue. 

Once the students completed the tests I had to take another inventory and be sure that identification numbers coincided with the proper test numbers. I would again burn the midnight oil making sure that everything was above board and properly handled. It was alway a great relief when I delivered the tests to the school district and got an “atta” girl for adhering to every rule and procedure. 

I outline this because I fully understood the seriousness of my duties. There was no wriggle room for glitches either minor or major. I knew that me and my teachers and my principal were being held to the highest standards and that lackadaisically botching any aspect of the process could lead to big trouble such as losing my ability to ever teach again in my state’s public schools. I was a stickler because I understood the importance of taking my job very seriously.

Thus I am stunned that members of the Trump cabinet were involved in a security breach that would have brought down fire and brimstone in a school much less in relation to plans for a military attack. it is unbelievable and unacceptable to create any kind of excuse for what happened. Lack of experience is not enough. These people were texting each other like teens planning to wrap a house in toilet paper. They were discussing their personal opinions about Europe in a chatty text that inadvertently included the chief editor of a national magazine who had no business whatsoever gaining access to that kind of information. The back and forth even included silly emojis, making the lack of professionalism seem even more horrific. These people were clowns attempting to do a very serious task and they failed miserably.

All of the individuals who took part in the clown show should at the very least be publicly chastised as should Donald Trump and the members of Congress who approved them. As citizens we should all be wondering how safe we are when the level of inexperience is so vast that all of us are stunned. Those who voted for Trump expected more of him and his cabinet. So far Trump washes his hands like Pontius Pilate and insists that he had nothing to do with any of it.

I beg to differ. Trump chose these people and he should have been privy to any discussions about bombing another nation. This is a very serious act that has been botched by a very unserious group of people. it is so much more than a glitch. As Americans we expect much better.