Trick Question

As I sit, bleary-eyed, trying to figure out what I will write, my mind wanders to what I expected to encounter in August and what realities of the classroom I have come to face since. All kinds of memories, good and bad, come to mind. I have left each day with many things to ponder, and the hour-long drive home makes that easier. I have never had more to digest than after my mock interview with the department chair at my school.

Mr. Black: “Tell me, what is your policy on late work? How do you handle that in your classroom?”

Finally, a question I feel half-confident about. I could just spout off what my CT has told me to do about late work, but what do I WANT to do in MY classroom?

Me: “Since I do teach seniors, I find it important for them to learn how to honor and stick to deadlines. It’s simply part of being a functioning adult. I do not accept late homework from students, however, I would need to consider the circumstances of each student, especially if they have consistent issues with turning in work on time. I am willing to be flexible with my students if they are willing to be open and honest with me. For minor and major assessments, I take off ten points for each day the assignment is late.”

Ok, yeah, that sounded good, not too idiotic. I consider students’ needs, and want to teach my kids valuable skills about being held accountable. What else did I miss?

After the hour long (ok, fifteen minutes, but it felt like an hour) interrogation interview, Mr. Black gives me feed back on my responses. And boy, did he have an issue with my response to this question.

Mr. Black: “Now, normally in school, it is ideal to stick to a schedule and have students turn in work on time. Time management, prioritizing, these are the soft skills we wish we could teach students. However, this is not the main part of our job. If a student is struggling with content or a specific strategy and falls behind, what motivation do they get from submitting a late assignment when they know they will still receive a failing grade?”

Me: “None?”

Blink. Blink. I wasn’t getting it. 

Mr. Black: “We want students to stick to deadlines, sure, but what is really important is that the student demonstrates mastery of the standard being assessed. Should they really be penalized for it?”

Excuse me? Standards? Now? In all of my time at this school, I have never heard one whisper of a standard or standards-based assessments, grading, nada. 

Have you ever taught a senior class, Mr. Black?

I think about his feedback on the long ride home.

No, he hasn’t. I know this for a fact. Mr. Black is a department chair with less than eight years of teaching experience, and since he is the chair, he decides which teachers will teach which courses for the year. Including himself.

What has he taught? Ninth and Tenth grade. Honors. No upperclassmen. No on-level students. Ever.

Ever, y’all.

While I care deeply about my students meeting the beloved standards, do you really think a senior gives a crap about anything going on in class? At school in general? HELL NO! If I gave my students all the time they needed to complete assessments based on their ability to “master the standards,” I would have a literal mountain of grading to do at the last. possible. minute. Because seniors. If I have learned anything from seniors, it is that they will ride the clock until they cannot possibly put if off a second longer. Sometimes it’s even impressive what they are able to do at the last minute.

Where is the line between mastery and meeting deadlines? In the real world, will their landlord or mortgage company allow them to have extra time to pay their bills if they don’t have the money on the due date? What would I be teaching my students, especially those hard to reach kids, about getting done what you need to do? What would this say about how I regard my assignments and class time?

I have struggled with having a severely jaded CT, and now I have a department chair with his head in the clouds.

I can’t wait until I have a room of my own.

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Students are People Too

“Well it would be nice if you could just excuse me from the test.”

I stared at him. I blinked.

“Yes, John*, that would be nice, but unfortunately I cannot excuse major assessments for students who choose not to come to school for two weeks.”

I love my students. I want what is best for them. I want them to succeed. I want them to want it, you know? But I cannot want any of these things more than they want them for themselves. This has been one realities of the classroom that I am beginning to navigate with a small amount of confidence.

How much help should I offer to those students who choose not to come to school and take their work seriously? Should I really take ten minutes away from other students who need my help so I explain an assignment to you that was due two weeks ago? Should I really be the one approaching you with the work you missed and need to make up? Should I really be flexible when it comes to due dates?

The answer, I thought, was no.

At the beginning of last semester, I had not considered how the impact of chronically absent students (popcorn attendance as my CT calls it) would have an effect on my teaching, and ultimately, my organization. On top of that, the popcorn attendance of students with IEPs who also get extended time.

This semester has been totally different from the last in that I have more students with accommodations. It has really made me think hard about how I will be flexible and supportive of the students in my own classroom. John is one such student I have had to work with. He recently came back to school after two and a half weeks of unexcused absence. I’ll be honest, I was not the nicest person when he came back. I assumed he was just another negligent senior, doing whatever he wants, which doesn’t include coming to school. I had forgotten that he has accommodations for a reason, and there is a legitimate reason for why he misses school, no matter what my co-teacher says about him just being lazy. I’ve realized in the past week that I had forgotten that John is a real person with issues, not just a warm body in a desk.

At this point, I’m actually happy to have my co-teacher there to advocate for her students and keep them on track. I see now how it can be almost impossible for a single teacher to keep up with thirty students in a class, times five. I’ve changed my approach with John by setting up small work goals throughout the period and saying “see you tomorrow!” when he leaves. By providing a structure for John he has been more receptive and at ease in class. Part of my teaching philosophy is to emphasize the importance of due dates and self-discipline inside and outside of the classroom. Working with John has made this belief less rigid in that not everyone is going to be capable of completing work at the same pace and I shouldn’t expect that of everyone. It’s an obvious statement, but coming to this realization in the classroom makes it more concrete.

So, John, I cannot excuse you from the test, but I will try to help you as best I can.

 

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My First Time

They say the first time you do it is really awkward.

My first time was painfully awkward. Like, second-hand-embarrassment awkward.

“It’s totally natural if it feels awkward at first. Hell, even I still feel awkward when I do it. You’ve seen me in fourth period.”

Luckily, I knew I had Ms. D to fall back on. I started to sweat and shake a little. My hands radiated heat throughout my body.

What do I do with my hands?!

Eventually, I stepped in front of the class. After all, the hardest part of doing it for the first time is getting started.

“Hey y’all, I’m Ms. F and I’m so excited to be working with you this year!”

Cue blank faces.

Was I speaking English?!

 

They say the first time is going to be a total disaster.

By the grace of some merciful god, there have only been a few days I considered to be failures.

“Headphones out of your listening orifices!”

“Phones away!”

“Dan, put your head up.”

A disaster for me amounts to having to say any of these phrases more than twice during a class period.

“Why are these kids so…good?”

“Oh, just wait until the spring.”

…

 

Sometimes it can feel like every day is the first time you’ve done it. Just when you think you’ve found your groove, something changes or doesn’t feel right. It’s okay to spice things up. It is necessary to do so in order to keep that (learning) spark alive.

 

They say there is nothing like your first time.

My advice?

Enjoy the ride

 

Courtesy of Imgur