End of Third Quarter Scramble

Hello all! I feel like its been eons since my last blog post- teaching really is the job that never ends! And I can't even say I'm mad about it! My student teaching experience has been the most challenging and rewarding part of my time as a student thus far, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Last week wrapped up third quarter at the high school, and let me tell you what a frenzy of activity I got lost in! Between finishing up the units on Night and A Tale of Two Cities, starting grammar and Frankenstein, having my second university observation, and a mid-semester teacher inservice, you could say I've been a tad overwhelmed!

With the end of third quarter I saw a couple new developments I'd like to comment on briefly. First, do you know what apathy means? Via Merriam-Webster online, apathy is the feeling of not having much emotion, interest, or concern. Student apathy is a rampant problem in schools everywhere, and I'm saddened to say that I've witnessed my first dose.

In my two sections of English 10, I have a number of low-achieving and special education students. Throughout the entire unit on Night, it was like pulling teeth to get any participation in class, and it was a flat out miracle if I received homework from many of these students. No matter what I did to mix up my instructional strategies or vary my assignments, I could not reach these students and get them motivated to learn. I saw flagrant disregard for homework, I saw poor grades on quizzes, tests, and essays, and most worrisome, I saw that none of it affected them. Receiving a zero was just something to shrug about. Not writing in a study guide (discussed almost exclusively in class) was an everyday occurrence. And they just didn't care. At all. It frustrates my brain and breaks my heart to watch these many students float along through classes because a D- means they should still move on to the next grade level. I frequently struggle with the inadequacies of education in the United States, but this more than anything preys on my mind. What happens when these students finally to get passed through with a D- to graduation? Do we really believe that they should be sent out into the real world with little to no knowledge or care for critical thinking or problem solving? Of course, there is no quick fix to these many issues, but the fact that they aren't even being discussed is what really scares me...

About a week before the quarter ended, I put on my boards that the last day I would accept any make up work would be three days before the quarter ended. Between the special education teachers and irate parents, you should have seen how many questions, phone calls, and emails I was receiving! Now that time was running out, their particular student needed extra credit or an extension. I wonder where this caring had been the past seven weeks? I don't mean to sound cynical, but this is the harsh reality of the teaching profession. This battle against apathy and slipping by needs to be fought, not just by me, but by student, parents, teachers, administrators, elected officials, and the media. Unfortunately, I don't have a solution to this severe problem, but the first step in any reform is bringing forth concerns, which is exactly what I plan to continue to do.