Agree here on the third grade pressure. DS was so sick, not sleeping, and generally a wreck around testing time. They had an assembly which was supposed to be funny...
He didn't tell me about this assembly for a few days. He just would say he had a stomache ache and stayed in bed all day. It wasn't till he told his little sister that she better get ready for third grade because they have that assembly, that we knew what the problem was.
A lot of this stress is presumably created by the schools. My DS9 is taking standardized tests for the first (hopefully last!) time this week/next week. The message from the school was "We'll be doing these tests on these dates. Make sure your child gets enough sleep and has a good breakfast. No absences if possible please."
My son's perspective is that they're pretty easy. I don't get any pressure-related vibes
at all.
Val
