Sometimes you cannot help the students help themselves.

By policy, we cannot record a grade for students filling out such things as their phone numbers because it is not academic. What they (the amorphous THEY) do not want, is for us to penalize someone who doesn't bring it in.

So, I told them I would give them 100 points if they brought it in and nothing if they did not - then showed the difference between the average of someone who has 3 grades (80, 90, and 100) and 2 grades (80 and 90). I thought this would show them why they needed to bring it in.

Nope.

What would you do?

We have about 5 more days to change grades from last semester. I have a boy who did nothing, nada, bupkis. I think I posted about him a while back. We are supposed to put in 60s rather than 0. When I did that he had a (wait for it) 60!

So I didn't.

He is really working this semester. OK, it's been 2 weeks. But he has done more in 2 weeks than he did all of the rest of the year.

A teacher took me aside today to tell me he had been diagnosed as very depressed over Christmas and was/is being treated.

Dilemma: He can't redo the work in 5 days. He could over this semester - at which point I cannot change the grade from the last semester.

Self-esteem is an issue. Passing is obviously better for self esteem than failing.

He hasn't asked for any consideration at all. He knows he failed last semester.

This is not an honors class I am talking about.

Whatever I do I will feel badly about.

Moral vs ethical

One of my low level students only works when he has to. He is charismatic, so when he doesn't work, he brings 4 or 5 down with him.

He earned a 25 on my exam. They were allowed to work together, but he hadn't done the review (he had an A in the course, no worry). Obviously, the ones who chose to work with him fared badly as well.

If I lower one of his test grades, he'd have a B in the course and be motivated in the second semester (maybe) to work harder and pass, since the state test is in the 2nd semester. If not, he still has a barely A.

I cannot bring myself to do what is best for the student - lowering his grade. I hope I am not dooming him next semester.

Exams - bleecch

In order to get my low achievers to pass I let them work on the exam together. I am failing the 5 I expected to fail - they refused to do the daily work and didn't come to the exam. I had As - The girl who told me I can't do this has a solid B.

She was one of the ones helping the rest, so she has a solid understanding.

My exam grades are pathetic. But I achieved what my goal (from on high) was for this semester - passing them.

The ones who didn't pass cannot pass but it is not because of me.

This will hurt me more than it will hurt you

OK I have called all thirty of the kids who are failing my class.

Specifically, I have called their parents, spreading joy wherever I go, telling them what they need to do in order to pass.

I am sure they think I am the Grinch - I wish they could see that it is only because I care.

I because I have to be able to document that I have told the parents in a timely manner.

Merry Christmas to all!!

Potential

Student (who refuses to do any of the options I have given him to raise his grade to passing): I have more potential than any of your other students.

I told him it was too bad I graded work not potential.

We are at an impasse: I hope he realizes he will need to do the work because I am NOT grading potential.

Another - who will not do ANYTHING - told me he was lazy. That was the reason for not doing the work. Wow. That gives me an incentive to help him. Putting in a 60 or 65 to replace the missing grades - gives him a 60 or 65. 70 is passing.

I am trying to figure out how that helps anything.

grades

Graded my first test. The senior course, average grade was a 75 - curved, but not majorly.

Easy assignment (listen, copy this off the board, turn it in) has an average of 65 - mostly because of the kids who were sitting in class and couldn't be bothered to turn it in.

Seeing the truth

How do you get them to see the truth when they've been lied to in the past?

According to the state's policies, you cannot be promoted in middle school if you fail two classes and you cannot go onto high school if you fail the standardized test given at the end of the year. All of my students have failed the standardized test (that's why they are in my class) , 50% failed one class and 40% (of the total) failed 2 or more. I have students who failed all of their classes last year, and the year before that, and the year before that . . . .

So, here we are in high school telling them if they fail a course for the semester, they will need to repeat that semester. Am I surprised that they don't believe us? Not really, but I do point out (at least weekly) that in high school, we will let you take a course however many times you want to take it - until you pass it. And if you hated it the first time through, it doesn't get more interesting the second (or third) time.

Add the grade recovery policy, and I cannot get them to understand that time is running out. I build in graded items to help them learn the material (keeping a journal where I write instructions on the board that they are to copy, daily warm ups that are collected biweekly for a quiz grade, etc.) AND raise their grade - but a certain contingent refuses to do this. I think if I look, they are they ones who failed 3 or more classes.

Some learn by observing others, some learn by listening, and some, after reading the WET PAINT sign, just have to test it.