HAHAHAHA! Feel the wrath of my TEST!

Finished this week by giving tests to 4 of my classes. This means that I have given a test in each of my four subjects that I am teaching. The bell work for each class was the same the day following the test: "Write a 30+ word review of the test". I gave them direction, in that this was the first test that I had ever made and administered, that I wanted to be fair in my questions and only ask about material that we had gone over in class, and that their honest, thoughtful opinion would help me in making out future tests so that their finished test would be an accurate picture of their level of knowledge and learning of the content. Perhaps I am asking a bit to much from a group of teenagers who, with their first reaction to the test, one would have thought I was preparing them for a root canal without anesthesia. Most verbal responses were at least semi-honest. More multiple-choice. A word bank for fill-in-the-blanks. NO ESSAYS OR SHORT ANSWERS ( right...like that will happen). I tried to explain to my students that the essay and short answer sections are the ones that most reflect what they have gained from the class. It also allows them to practice the skill of taking the information in their head and writing it onto a piece of paper. No, it is not easy at first. But the more you practice it and do it, the better you will become at it. Also, if any of them have the aspiration to continue their education beyond high school, it would be most beneficial to have this skill. The student's response: ... (crickets)...(crickets)...whaaa? Guess I'll just have to see how they did.