All year I have been in graduate school, working on obtaining my administrative certification. I’m nearing the end of coursework and in class last Saturday the teacher projected seven questions from the state exam that I needed to take to officially apply for the certifaction. Many members of my cohort have already passed the exam. It was still on my to-do list. I answered six out of seven questions correctly and I took that as a sign that I was ready for the real exam.

That afternoon, when I was back at home, I logged in to schedule my test. I had planned on taking a personal day, following a busy weekend and in between the birthdays of my two younger daughters (they celebrate just four days apart!). You can now take the exam at home, while being recorded and your computer monitored remotely. My personal day seemed like the perfect day to schedule the exam. My kids would be at school, I’d have a quiet house all to myself.

On the exam day, I watched as the masons we have working to replace our pool patio rolled in. I didn’t pay much attention to them as I hurried to get the girls ready for school, everyone out of our normal routine. I didn’t notice the masons again until I heard what sounded like jackhammering coming from the backyard. I saw this as I rushed to the window for a closer look.

Interesting, I thought to myself and said a silent prayer that the jackhammering would be over before my 10:40 exam time.

When I got back from dropping the girls off at school, the noise seemed to have quieted. The men were still working, but the heavy-duty tools had been pushed to the side. When it was time to log in for my exam, I showed the proctor that I didn’t have any notes hidden around me, or even on the inside of my glasses. I settled into answering the 120 multiple choice questions.

About ten questions in, the jackhammering began again. It continued on and off for the rest of the exam. I had to consciously tune out the noise, forcing my mind to read and reread the words on my screen, making sense of the scenerios ranging from elementary to high school, from change plans to policies regarding media.

When I finished answering all of the questions, I was feeling unsure. Had I chosen the best answers? Would I be the first member of my cohort to fail the exam?

I pressed the submit button and held my breath…

I passed.

As I peeled myself off of my dining room chair, I walked toward the window facing the backyard to check out the progress happening around the pool. As I looked at the remaining rubble, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment and appreciation for administrators. I can imagine that there are days when they have to ignore some version of jackhammering, to make important decisions, just like I had to do. I had passed the test, not just the multiple choice questions, but the test of staying focused despite distractions and challenges.

I passed the test.