Obviously, that was the highlight of my day. And probably my year so far. I also enjoyed a sidebar conversation I had with two students today in which they fired off (often talking over each other) every science question they've ever had that no one's answered. Things like: so that black stuff that comes out of a car's tailpipe, that's carbon, right? But why is it carbon? I heard carbon is everywhere - is that true? Why can't I see it? Where did carbon come from, anyway? The Earth?And hey, why is the Earth the only planet that has life on it? What's up with that? Keep in mind my kids are all about 18. It was delightful to see they can still have the curiosity of a five year old.
The lowlight of my day was when a student came to discuss his grade before class this morning. He's failing, largely due to spotty attendance and the snowball effect that creates with missed work. We're halfway through the first term, so I tried to be encouraging and told him if he came to class every day, and did his work, he could still pass. He told me he needs to pass every class this year so he can graduate this year - he's almost 18, already has a kid, and needs to get out of school and get a full time job as soon as he can. Despite my encouragements, he left my room on the verge of tears, and didn't show up to class today. What do you do when a kid loses hope?
3 comments:
the first part of your post made me smile; after the second part i thought "yuck."
don't wear yourself thin, but for a kid like that who seems to care and has a lot at stake, i'd make a valiant effort. if he still lives at home, call and try to get his parents involved. call every morning to make sure he gets up and comes into school. (i did that for a student last year. after two weeks and no change, i gave up. but it's definitely worth a shot.)
do you have a system set in place for kids who are absent? if not, consider setting up a class notebook so chronic cutters and absent students alike can easily access all class work, homework, and assignments without involving you or other students.
i know it's disheartening. there's only so much you can do. no words of wisdom here, but i can definitely sympathize.
I allow my students to do makeup work, but they have to ask me for it. I'm thinking about instituting a self-serve system next term in the form of folders with handouts from the previous five days' classes. Our advocate counselors so wakeup calls for some students, but I don't think that's his issue. Yuck indeed.
i'll tell you what i do; i stole the idea from another fellow.
i have a color coded binder for each section i teach. each day a student takes the binder and copies down all the notes and examples for the day, as well as the homework. if someone is absent or needs notes, it's all in there. the book stays in the classroom and students are able to use it during the last 5 minutes or after school.
different kids copy down the notes; it's first come first serve. whoever gets the binder first puts their name on the page they do and gets 1 point extra credit on their next test for every time they take notes (this also reinforces good note taking with the kids who are struggling, because they're the ones who want the extra points.)
not that this will necessarily help in your situation, but i've found it works pretty well in my class. it's best to make the students accountable for their work and if they constantly come to us teachers to find out what's going on, the less responsible they'll be.
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