i've had a lot of interesting conversations and thoughts recently about why kids are the way they are, and what we as teachers are supposed to do to help them. with the recent news regarding upping instructional minutes and reading the comment strand on a recent article, i have many, many thoughts on this...and many, many things i'm still trying to work out for myself.
last week i was pissed beyond belief at the fact that 40 of 101 students turned in their book assignment, which i had assigned a week prior and given them class time to work on. i laid into my last class, using words like "pathetic" and telling them that they were "setting up life habits." many looked remorseful, but not many had the assignment to turn in the following day. however, after our study hall day yesterday, all but six of my missing assignments have been turned in. i had to hound them, put up a list of names on the board so all the students would know who the delinquent students were, and use our in school full day of study hall in order to get it from them, but they did the work and for the most part, it wasn't just shirty, rushed work.
so am i coddling my students by allowing them to turn it in late? am i teaching them bad habits by making them do it even if it's late? it pisses me off to no end that these kids can't do their work on time, and i'll bitch and moan to the moon, but when i really sit down and think about it, there's no way i'd ever succumb to the no latework policy. it's against my belief system. it's against my understanding of what kids at this age, and kids with these kinds of family lives, need.
it's easy to say, "damn these kids and damn their parents. if they no care, i no care either." it's much, much harder, to make yourself care and push the students to do their work. i have a hard time caring about some of my kids, and i lose my patience daily with them. but i didn't get into teaching to fail kids. i didn't get into teaching to wield my power over them. i didn't get into teaching thinking that everybody came from the same kind of place/background i did. i've seen kids whose parents don't give a rip still succeed, and i've seen kids whose parents do everything possible for them still fail. i've seen many, many kids with shitty home lives who struggle everyday and don't give a rip about my work...but they'll do it if they know that i give a shit about them.
so what's my point? i don't really know. more posts to come on this touchy subject.
1 comment:
Interesting thoughts. I think that's why I feel torn. To me, late work is a no brainer. People learn at different speeds and work at different speeds. And when it comes down to it, it's easier for them to just take a 0 than do it. For me, it's more important that they do it, learn something, and know that they can't avoid work.
I find myself getting so frustrated when kids don't turn in homework and tell me, "Oh, I had practice yesterday. I was busy. I didn't have time to do homework."
I feel torn though, on some things. I'm gonna hound you and hound you for your work. I'm gonna tell you over and over you should come to tutoring, but part of me feels that I shouldn't force you. If I force you, you're not going to figure out how to make good choices. On the other hand, if I don't force you, you may fail.
And the word "fail" scares everyone.
Yet, I also think that for some kids, failing might wake them up. It might make them see the light. On the other hand, I know that it won't work for some kids.
I think that's something that we as educators think about often.
What is going to teach them the things we want them to learn?
When I think about my students with crappy home lives, it freaks me out. I feel overwhelmed with fear for them because I wonder what their future holds.
And then there are the kids whose families don't care about education. It's just not a priority. Yet, as a teacher and mother, I feel like education is one of the highest priorities. But I also understand that because this is not a priority of their family, homework will not be either. Work just won't be done at home.
And I get angry when the parents point fingers at us and say that the education of their children is OUR job. Yes, it is, but only to a point. I know that the child is the one who's losing out, but if we continue to do the parent's job, then when will they figure it out. I guess that's where I haven't figured it out. If I don't do the parent's job, the kid suffers. But if I do, then the parent continues to be a shitty parent and think they're doing a good job. In the end, the kid always wins out because I know that it's not their fault, but it still sucks.
All right. Lengthy.
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