I have a good friend who every time he talks to me asks me, "How is the hope of American doing today?" meaning my teaching experience and my kids. And today if I responded to that I would have to say, the hope of America is all worn out! If you want to know what teaching is like click on Katie's blog link and read about all of her worries! I share them! :D
I do what I can for my kids, some I help, some I don't, and that is a trick to teaching. Who do you help? I had a kid come to me yesterday with a 69.50% in my class and he is in super-trouble with the law and has to go to court today and bring a transcript of his grades. He needs to have at least a C- or is is in BIG trouble. Now, he comes to class, is not super-smart, but he does come and tries, so I let him make an extra credit project (see above) for 25 points that will roll him up to a 70.15% in my class, and thus a C-. Saved a kid from jail.
Student #2 came to talk to me the other day, and said he has to go to jail if he skips one more class. He skipped one more class--mine. "Please Ms.E, please just don't mark me gone, or I'll be going to jail!" I refused to help him. Not only because that would make me a liar, but because he has only shown up to my class: TWICE. I told him I would never lie to him, but would have been more inclined to be sympathetic, if he had had his bum in one of my seats at least "most" of the time. Jail for him, and has he reformed now that he is out? Well, he has come ONE more time to my class.
I will have to say though, I do have some hope for America when I recieve responses like the following for novels I teach:
"The most important lesson I learned from Huckleberry Finn was it doesn't matter what time you were born in. Or what kind of environment you were raised in. You can still have a good heart and do what's right. Huck had a good heart in a warped society. He treated Jim kindly and helped him escpae to help his family. Huck could have turned him in any time but didn't."
AND one of my students left one of our journalism cameras in another teacher's classroom for two days and it was still there this morning when I retrieved it! Still sitting on the SAME desk, NOT stolen, but YES, full of pictures of people's nostrils. LOL.
Nice. Hope for America.
3 comments:
You probably don't need to hear this, but I think you made the totally right call on both your students. Sometimes the A (or the C-) IS for effort. Also, glad the camera was there!
wow - that was a crap looking project. lol and i agree with scully!
and it's AMAZING the camera was still there - how funny! I can't tell you how many things were stolen from my classroom . . .including my own favorite diamond mucho-expensive watch! little turd buckets!
so awhile ago i put this thing up on my home page that tells me when people update their blogs, so i can go read them . . .and i put in your wrong address (the old one) sorry.
I wrote this huge comment, and then it gave me an error message! BUT, it was basically just saying I totally relate. And I have so done the same thing for various students.
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