Salvete,
My students are doing research papers for or against a controversial topic of my choosing. The topics available to them are:
-Abortion
-Euthanasia
-Video games causing violence
-Death penalty
-War on Terror
-Health care reform
In the course of his research, one student solved the problem of why so many people are getting pregnant, and also discovered the key reason why abortion should be illegal for people who are irresponsible. He wrote the following:
"Abortion is the cause of a huge amount of fetuses."
What a strange world we live in.
Salvete,
Magistra
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Let's Make it a Hat Trick.
Salvete,
Today was a big day as far as blog-worthy items. I cannot help myself.
When a student fails, a few things have to happen.
First, the student has to be determined to fail. This may look like: not paying attention, not turning in notes, overconfidence, etc. If you ever failed a high school class, do us all a favor and stop blaming anyone but yourself. Do not talk to me about how you are the exception to the rule, the teacher was too hard/too mean/hated you.
Second, the student has to maintain his determination to fail for a while. One day of determination to fail is not enough to glean a failing grade. This is not college where you only get graded on two things the whole semester. This nine-weeks alone, my students had 31 assignments. I also take late work, albeit withe a penalty, until the day grades are due.
Third, the teacher has to notify the parent. This is not a part of the actual failure process, but it does have to happen in order for the teacher to submit a failing grade. This is the most unpleasant part of the process, in my opinion, and the part on which I will focus for the rest of this post.
When calling parents, I never know what I am going have answering the phone. It may not speak English, it may be driving or at work, it may be the student himself, or it may be four years old. Regardless of who answers, the next 3 to 30 minutes of my life are guaranteed to be unpleasant. No one likes to hear that their kid is failing. To a (reasonable) parent, a child is the symbol of the best one has to offer the world. If the child fails, the parent feels that failure as well, and perhaps more acutely than does the child. Years of money, time, patience, and heartache go into the child (so do joy and pride and stuff, but those are not as poignant).
When I call a parent, if I am not having to speak in broken Spanish, I try just to listen and allow them to vent. Then I go into the issues I have with the child.
OK, this is boring even me. Let's get to the anecdote.
Today was the day when I call parents. I only had four to call, which is pretty good. That's a 6% failure rate.
The last parent (TLP) I called was very frustrated with me. TLP said the following things to me. I have included my mental and actual responses:
1) I know [student] is very smart but very lazy.
MENTAL RESPONSE: Yes.
ACTUAL RESPONSE: Yes.
2) How should I know to check if [student] is failing when the teacher never calls me?
M. RESPONSE: Because you know #1 in this list.
A. RESPONSE: Are you able to access the online gradebook? No? Oh. Did you get the two progress reports I sent home with [student]?
3) The rest of [student]'s teachers called me, but I did not know he was failing in your class.
M. RESPONSE: Good for them. If he was failing all their classes, it's like DUH that he was failing my class.
A. RESPONSE: I know that must be frustrating.
4) Can [student] come in this afternoon to do extra credit and bring up the grade?
M. RESPONSE: Do you really think I am going to be here after lunch? Do you really think I am going to let [student] made up a semester's worth of work in one afternoon? There is no afternoon long enough.
A. RESPONSE: No. (etc...See post including my Extra Credit philosophy)
5) It doesn't seem fair for you to just be calling now and not let [student] do extra credit.
M. RESPONSE: I would like to point you in the direction of my blog. Reference link in #4.
A. RESPONSE: It would not be fair for me to allow [student] to do extra credit now, when the rest of the students have taken care of their business. I gave an extra credit opportunity, due today, that [student] chose not to do, and that was up to [student].
It went on like this for a while, with TLP variously venting here and there.
Should I ever bear a child into this cold, cruel, unfair world where teachers are blamed for student failure, I hope that someone makes me reread my own blog every day before I send the kid to school.
Valete,
Magistra
Today was a big day as far as blog-worthy items. I cannot help myself.
When a student fails, a few things have to happen.
First, the student has to be determined to fail. This may look like: not paying attention, not turning in notes, overconfidence, etc. If you ever failed a high school class, do us all a favor and stop blaming anyone but yourself. Do not talk to me about how you are the exception to the rule, the teacher was too hard/too mean/hated you.
Second, the student has to maintain his determination to fail for a while. One day of determination to fail is not enough to glean a failing grade. This is not college where you only get graded on two things the whole semester. This nine-weeks alone, my students had 31 assignments. I also take late work, albeit withe a penalty, until the day grades are due.
Third, the teacher has to notify the parent. This is not a part of the actual failure process, but it does have to happen in order for the teacher to submit a failing grade. This is the most unpleasant part of the process, in my opinion, and the part on which I will focus for the rest of this post.
When calling parents, I never know what I am going have answering the phone. It may not speak English, it may be driving or at work, it may be the student himself, or it may be four years old. Regardless of who answers, the next 3 to 30 minutes of my life are guaranteed to be unpleasant. No one likes to hear that their kid is failing. To a (reasonable) parent, a child is the symbol of the best one has to offer the world. If the child fails, the parent feels that failure as well, and perhaps more acutely than does the child. Years of money, time, patience, and heartache go into the child (so do joy and pride and stuff, but those are not as poignant).
When I call a parent, if I am not having to speak in broken Spanish, I try just to listen and allow them to vent. Then I go into the issues I have with the child.
OK, this is boring even me. Let's get to the anecdote.
Today was the day when I call parents. I only had four to call, which is pretty good. That's a 6% failure rate.
The last parent (TLP) I called was very frustrated with me. TLP said the following things to me. I have included my mental and actual responses:
1) I know [student] is very smart but very lazy.
MENTAL RESPONSE: Yes.
ACTUAL RESPONSE: Yes.
2) How should I know to check if [student] is failing when the teacher never calls me?
M. RESPONSE: Because you know #1 in this list.
A. RESPONSE: Are you able to access the online gradebook? No? Oh. Did you get the two progress reports I sent home with [student]?
3) The rest of [student]'s teachers called me, but I did not know he was failing in your class.
M. RESPONSE: Good for them. If he was failing all their classes, it's like DUH that he was failing my class.
A. RESPONSE: I know that must be frustrating.
4) Can [student] come in this afternoon to do extra credit and bring up the grade?
M. RESPONSE: Do you really think I am going to be here after lunch? Do you really think I am going to let [student] made up a semester's worth of work in one afternoon? There is no afternoon long enough.
A. RESPONSE: No. (etc...See post including my Extra Credit philosophy)
5) It doesn't seem fair for you to just be calling now and not let [student] do extra credit.
M. RESPONSE: I would like to point you in the direction of my blog. Reference link in #4.
A. RESPONSE: It would not be fair for me to allow [student] to do extra credit now, when the rest of the students have taken care of their business. I gave an extra credit opportunity, due today, that [student] chose not to do, and that was up to [student].
It went on like this for a while, with TLP variously venting here and there.
Should I ever bear a child into this cold, cruel, unfair world where teachers are blamed for student failure, I hope that someone makes me reread my own blog every day before I send the kid to school.
Valete,
Magistra
Pomp and Circumstances.
Salvete!
If you read the previous post about today's duty, you might have gotten a little laugh. I thought I would add this post separately because it deals with a different matter than goofy children acting a fool in the hallway. It involves one sweet child affirming the reason I do this job.
Once Joe had moved along, I switched sides of the hall, as I usually do, to assist with the flow of traffic. One of my former students walked by holding a sheet that looked like a withdrawal form. I called her back to me with concern, as she had been an at risk child, a Repeater when she had me for class last year. I asked her if that was a withdrawal form, and with the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face, she told me that, no, it was not. It was a form to show that she was graduating. She was positively ecstatic as I told her how proud I was of her and shared in her joy. She gave me a big hug, not something I am used to getting from students (Rule #3: Keep all physical items to yourself). I hugged her back, so glad to have been part of her life.
It has not been an easy road for her, and seeing the expression on her face was enough to remind me again, as I am reminded almost every day, what I come to this building to do. These kids are becoming whom they are going to be. I hope that I play a positive part in that. I hope that I never collectively contribute to a student giving up, or to a child losing hope. I hope I can teach them that yes, life is hard, and yes, you are going to have to work. Sometimes things will seem unfair. Sometimes it will seem like all of life is working against you. But, I want them to learn that if you work hard, you will probably succeed. Success is never a guarantee, but with hard work, it is a leaps and bounds more likely than if you do nothing.
Salvete,
Magistra
If you read the previous post about today's duty, you might have gotten a little laugh. I thought I would add this post separately because it deals with a different matter than goofy children acting a fool in the hallway. It involves one sweet child affirming the reason I do this job.
Once Joe had moved along, I switched sides of the hall, as I usually do, to assist with the flow of traffic. One of my former students walked by holding a sheet that looked like a withdrawal form. I called her back to me with concern, as she had been an at risk child, a Repeater when she had me for class last year. I asked her if that was a withdrawal form, and with the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face, she told me that, no, it was not. It was a form to show that she was graduating. She was positively ecstatic as I told her how proud I was of her and shared in her joy. She gave me a big hug, not something I am used to getting from students (Rule #3: Keep all physical items to yourself). I hugged her back, so glad to have been part of her life.
It has not been an easy road for her, and seeing the expression on her face was enough to remind me again, as I am reminded almost every day, what I come to this building to do. These kids are becoming whom they are going to be. I hope that I play a positive part in that. I hope that I never collectively contribute to a student giving up, or to a child losing hope. I hope I can teach them that yes, life is hard, and yes, you are going to have to work. Sometimes things will seem unfair. Sometimes it will seem like all of life is working against you. But, I want them to learn that if you work hard, you will probably succeed. Success is never a guarantee, but with hard work, it is a leaps and bounds more likely than if you do nothing.
Salvete,
Magistra
Exams are for the Weak.
Salvete,
I was done with students at 9:00 this morning, due to exams and it being a half day, but I still had to go to duty. The students attended third and fourth only today, so I saw third period first thing this morning.
Out in the hall, before school, Joe was hanging around outside my room talking to some friends. I asked him why he was not at his usual post yesterday (he had deprived me of the daily dose of attitude, for whatever reason). He babbled on about this or that, and I told him I missed bothering him. He just laughed and smiled with those vacant eyes.
Later, as I walked to my duty station, I saw a young lady push a young man, and the young man retaliated by whacking her on the head with a rolled up piece of paper. I told them to be nice to one another, and who should the young man chance to be upon turning around? My favorite duty-time trouble maker, the aforementioned Joe!
He still had about thirty feet to cover in order to beat me to my duty station, so he laughed an insane cackle and ran ahead of me to get there first. Once I got there, he asked how I was doing, and we exchanged pleasantries. I asked him if he got an A on his third period final (I knew he hadn't, because he spent third standing in the hall making bird noises), and he told me that of course he had. I congratulated him and then told him to move along. Again he laughed an insane laugh, and walked on down the hallway with a bounce in his silly step.
Oh, my job.
Remind me why I wanted to leave again?
Salvete,
Magistra
I was done with students at 9:00 this morning, due to exams and it being a half day, but I still had to go to duty. The students attended third and fourth only today, so I saw third period first thing this morning.
Out in the hall, before school, Joe was hanging around outside my room talking to some friends. I asked him why he was not at his usual post yesterday (he had deprived me of the daily dose of attitude, for whatever reason). He babbled on about this or that, and I told him I missed bothering him. He just laughed and smiled with those vacant eyes.
Later, as I walked to my duty station, I saw a young lady push a young man, and the young man retaliated by whacking her on the head with a rolled up piece of paper. I told them to be nice to one another, and who should the young man chance to be upon turning around? My favorite duty-time trouble maker, the aforementioned Joe!
He still had about thirty feet to cover in order to beat me to my duty station, so he laughed an insane cackle and ran ahead of me to get there first. Once I got there, he asked how I was doing, and we exchanged pleasantries. I asked him if he got an A on his third period final (I knew he hadn't, because he spent third standing in the hall making bird noises), and he told me that of course he had. I congratulated him and then told him to move along. Again he laughed an insane laugh, and walked on down the hallway with a bounce in his silly step.
Oh, my job.
Remind me why I wanted to leave again?
Salvete,
Magistra
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