Keep Calm, Carry On, and Eat the Muffin

Heather Lyon
May 20
3 min read

Hello,

Several years ago, my kids’ school district made the news—but not for reasons anyone would want. During state testing season, completed 3–8 assessment answer sheets were being transported from the school to a vehicle for off-site scoring when a gust of wind caught one of the boxes. Some tests were recovered. Some blew away.

The district had to notify affected families that their child’s test couldn’t be scored—and in some cases, that personal information might have been lost. Gone with the wind.

You can’t make this stuff up.

The incident stuck with me—not just because of the surreal image of answer sheets scattered across a neighborhood, but because it was a rare moment when literal weather (a gust of wind) threatened to create figurative chaos (panic of educators, families, and students). Yet thanks to steady leadership and clear communication, the chaos was minimized; the skies may have darkened, but the storm passed without any real damage.

That story came to mind again this spring, when the district I work in—like many across the New York—administered the 3–8 assessments through computer-based testing (CBT). This time, there was no risk of paper flying away. But the storms were still there—just in a different form.

As of next year (Spring 2026), all students in Grades 3–8 across New York will complete their ELA, Math, and Science assessments on a device. Many districts, including mine, opted to make the switch earlier.

While CBT eliminates some logistical headaches (like lost answer sheets), it brings new challenges—particularly when technology falters. During the first few days of CBT this April, several districts across the state experienced significant system glitches. Some schools had to pause testing mid-session. Others faced delays or technical failures that affected hundreds of students.

Our district's CBT window was set to begin on April 9. On April 8, though, we heard all about the disruptions happening elsewhere. Accordingly, I sent this message to all building leaders:

Sure enough, we encountered a few hiccups that day. Nothing major, but enough to test our preparation and poise.

Then, just when everything seemed to be running smoothly, we faced a new curveball: a regional power outage. Lights off. Servers down. Internet gone. The kitchen, which was preparing for student lunches, even had to shut down. And right in the middle of it all? Nearly half of the middle school students were still testing on their computers.

We acted quickly. Relocated students. Communicated clearly. Stayed focused. And, most importantly, stayed calm.

This is what it means to “be the weather.” Not to predict or control every variable—but to be a steady, grounding presence when the unexpected hits.

During the week of April 8th, when there was a flurry of negativity and angst regarding the glitches with CBT administration at the state level, I chatted with some colleagues from across the state, including an elementary principal from another district who’d experienced serious tech failures during their CBT window. She described the moment when systems began failing and the teachers looked to her for direction.

What did she do? She walked out into the hallway. Unwrapped the muffin a student had given her that morning and ate it. That simple act—calmly eating a muffin while the storm swirled around her—wasn't avoidance. It was a deliberate choice. A signal to everyone watching: We’re okay. We’re going to figure this out.

And they did.

That moment has stayed with me ever since. Because when you're a leader, you are the weather. People look to you to decide how to dress for the day—whether to take cover or carry on. If you bring thunder, they brace themselves. If you bring steadiness, they can breathe easier. And because you are the weather, you get to choose the forecast.

You can choose calm.

You can choose clarity.

You can choose to eat the muffin.

~Heather

P.S. For the record, I do believe in the value of standardized assessments—state tests, universal screeners, and beyond. That said, I also recognize their imperfections and the very real presence of implicit bias in some of these tools (a topic for another day). Still, I can absolutely appreciate well-done satire. This week’s Catch of the Week is a hilarious spoof from The Onion that pokes fun at standardized testing in the most outrageous way. Fair warning: the video isn’t rated and does include some explicit language—but if you’re up for it, it’s worth the laugh.