I have discovered that I hate (HATE) failing kids. I hate it. Hate it. Hate it. I want so badly for them to do well. I want them to learn and think and understand the world in new and unique ways. I get so frustrated with this system of learning that uses grades to motivate students. I know, I know, if there weren't grades, I probably wouldn't get much work out of them. Or wouldn't I? In an ideal world will we all want to learn and seek after learning? Or is that only possible once we have graduated from the realm of teen-dom? I don't know. But it pains and stresses me to see that look in their' eyes when they come in the last week of term and say, "Ms. T., I'm failing. Failing. What can I do? Please, I'll do anything." And yes, I know that I cannot let them do anything. I cannot condone pure procrastination or a semester's worth of zeros on assignments.
I understand it with my head. But my heart--the part of me that wants to make people happy--begs me to give them another chance. Perhaps it is the hardest for those students who come every day, sit quietly in their corner, turn in occasional assignments, and probably don't understand a word of what I am talking about, no matter how many times I try to explain and reexplain. They want to do well. They just don't know how to do well. It is so beyond anything they have ever seen done in their family or in their own academic careers. You have to be "one of them" to go to college, to get good grades, to do well, they say and shrug. So when they come and stand before me with that pained look and ask that question, I don't always know what to say. When should I be merciful and when should I hold to my guns? How can I let one student turn in a late assignment (even for a good reason) and not the other (even for a bad reason)?
Sigh.
So apart from the grading and the intense, high-stress, testing environment, what I hate most about finals week is the emotional strain of having to look that kid in the eyes and say, "Yes, you are failing. You didn't turn in... or do... or do well enough on... And now, there is nothing you can do." Mostly it makes me want to crawl in a hole and not come back. But I keep thinking, there's got to be something I can do to change the system. To helps kids realize that they are capable of not failing and creating the path for them. Any thoughts?
6 comments:
You mentioned your wish that you could just give them another chance...well, does retaking the class count?! I'm not trying to make a mean joke, really--but passing them without a founded understanding of the subject would be failing them in the long run. If they didn't do what it takes to pass, they need more time studying the content of the subject, or, in the case of the talented-and-capable-but-a-little-too-lazy, more time learning what work and integrity mean. So don't feel too bad. Think of it as an opportunity to help them understand on a one-on-one basis. (?!)
LET THEM BURN!!! Just Kidding... First off, I must say... I don't following your blog as closely as Sara but I really like it. That said, I think as a teacher it's your privilege to make up the rules as you go along... no need to draw a hard. I personally think that all knowledge flows from love and a child's self esteem plays a huge part of their ability to learn. So a small bump in their grade for their effort could keep them moving along. But most importantly help them to distinguish between a grade and self worth... grades are just limited feedback... they're not even 100% accurate... and they don't always indication how much a person may have learned or how smart or talented they are. I think it's important to share stories of great people who failed in school but succeeded elsewhere. The most important thing grades teach us is how to live with failure... anyone who hasn't learn that lesson is kidding themselves.
Wow! I had no problem telling the kid that skipped my class all semester long and then came to me the last week crying because she wouldn't be allowed to walk in graduation if she failed my class that there was no way she could make up enough work in the last three days to walk. It made me mad that she thought she could get away with no consequences for her actions.
There are the other kids that you're talking about too. The ones that actually try but just can never quite succeed at getting things turned in or doing well on tests and that is hard. Usually, if there is enough effort on their part though, they didn't end up failing.
Either way it can be a tough call. I think it would be more difficult in English where the grading can be more subjective too. It was easy for me to hide behind the excuse that there really was only one right answer. Good luck!!
Hey, Carly. This pained me to, even though you feel the kids deserve it to a large degree.
A couple of things.
1) Address failing kids before the end of the term/semester (which I'm sure you do, but I always felt I could have used more interventions). After the first test I gave, I sent an e-mail to every parent of a student who got a D or an F on the test informing them of how their student performed and telling them I would be holding a one-time only review and make-up session that I would expect their child to be there. All but one student was there. Most parents, even uninvolved ones, when they heard their child got a D or F got a little more involved in their student's life, and the student became a little more serious about school (even if it was for the wrong reasons--fear of divine parental retribution).
I wish I would have followed-up more on failing students on a weekly basis. I should have made more calls home, talked with other teachers about strategies they have used to motivate that particular student in class, etc. I was scared of phone calls home, which is why I never did that, but it would have been useful to solicit parental support more along the way. I honestly only had two students whose parents were such deadbeats there was no way I could get anything out of them. The rest of them, surprisingly (judging by their offspring) cared to some degree and might help out a bit more if I had used that phone more. I know. Easier said then done.
2) Depending on the kid, a personal relationship can go a long way. I had one kid who was a punk early on, who loved joking about how he was the dumbest kid in the class and how he was just going to fail and it didn't even matter. I looked him in the eye, told him he was full of it--told him that he's as smart as any other kid I've met and that he's not meeting his potential. Every time he pretended he didn't care, I countered him with the reverse and with my confidence that he could do so much better. The first trimester he got Ds and Fs in all of his classes. The second trimester he had all As and Bs. I can't say that I was the reason for this change, but he was so proud to report to me his good grades.
Positive comments on work go along way, too. He was especially fond of creative writing, and when we did our short story unit and they wrote their own at the end, I made sure that I elaborated in great detail how mature his writing was and how impressed I was with his work. Wish I could say it was the perfect success story, but the third trimester he was suspended from school for fighting (doing something like defending his "manhood"--give me a break) and he failed all of his classes again after that. There's only so much you can do for a kid, because there are always so many competing factors, especially if they're not the most school/learning-oriented student out there.
3) Even though it's beyond me, there are kids that don't get the requirements of assignments. Even though you have a brilliant rubric created and you pass it out with the directions for the assignment so they know right away how they will be graded, there will be those kids that turn in a paper that addresses 2 of the 10 points outlined on the criteria and wonder why they got an "F" on the assignment. Maybe something I wish I would have done is set a day in class where I could pull each failing or low scoring student back to talk to me about their assignment before there is a final grade written on it. I would show them the aspects of the assignment they have fulfilled, ask them about the other parts, explain that the assignment is incomplete, have them calculate what grade they would be getting on the assignment as it currently is (show them the math...how many points they get for the fulfillment of each criteria and let them calculate what their grade will be), ask them if they just forgot to do those other parts or if they didn't understand it, show them an example of an "A" assignment and have them identify all of the fulfilled criteria, and then tell them they can turn the paper back in to you the next day if they would like another day to complete it based on this new understanding. Mind you, this is not a general classroom policy--all failing assignments can be redone for credit. It's extended only to certain students based on your discretion of the students' abilities and academic awareness.
(Wouldn't it be nice if you had the time to be able to do this? I just realized it might take 5-10 minutes per student, and I don't know about you, but my classes could never run themselves productively.)
4) Challenging kids if they have failing attitudes can sometimes be successful. Ask them to staff after class for a minute to talk to them about why they don't care or how they perceive themselves. Positive reinforcement goes a long way.
5) Refer the student to a study skills class. In most models, the completion and performance on assignments is closely monitored by a third party teacher who can keep up on the kids so you have the time for everything else you are doing. I taught the study skills class last year, and although there were some kids who just failed continually, having some one to report to, some one who looked up their grades every other day, asked them about assignments, set goals, and held them accountable made a huge difference in terms of attitude. I had one kid who wasn't failing anything, but who appeared to be content with his Cs and Ds. I asked him why he didn't gets As and Bs and he shrugged his shoulders and contently said that he was just an average student and that that was okay. I challenged him to aim higher--to break his own perceptions of himself and strive to be the best that he could be. There was improvement. At the end of the year, he had As and Bs, and had a huge smile on his face when he had positive grade reports every other day, reported praise from his teachers, and claimed to have all of his assignments done before class. They need someone to report to and to receive congratulations from. They need someone who is interested enough in their individual progress. It's hard to be that for everyone...I would say impossible, but I did only teach that one year. Apparently it gets easier as you go on. If your school doesn't offer a study skills class, suggest getting one to your administration. If nothing else, it provides those kids someone who 1) cares and 2) holds them accountable.
As an English teacher myself, I felt the "subjectivity" of my grading was pretty low, as most of my assignments weren't based on things like "creativity" but
"The paper's introduction includes a hook, a clearly stated thesis, and an overview of the three main points to be covered in the paper." There's nothing very subjective about that. Either they did it or they didn't. I drove me nuts to have to be so technical in my grading, but that's how I did it, and that's something that kids can understand, even though it takes them a while to get used to the idea that the grades they receive on their papers aren't a reflection of how much the teacher likes you but how closely they meet the criteria of the assignment. There is a huge disconnect for a lot of those kids between the two, and sometimes it takes a lot of reinforcement to get them to understand.
I have said enough. Take it for what it's worth. I feel your pain. I hope you find something that makes you feel you at least tried.
Love you.
Lisa
Oh, I think this right here is another reason why I just couldn't do it. Why I couldn't be a therapist or a teacher or a lot of other things. I totally feel your pain and just don't know how you do it. Although, I know you should. I totally agree it should be a little case by case situation. Oh, keep hanging in there Carly. I am just glad that I am reading it on Sunday, when finals are over, I know you had a good weekend, and now you get a week of spring break. Even if there are some stresses along with that. I love you my Carly Jane. Love you so so much! I sure hope we get to talk lots while you have a little time off!
That must be a horrible thing to have to do. My cousin is on the board at his optometry program that decides whether or not to kick out students for failing too many classes or academic dishonesty and he said it's pretty awful.
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