Horrible Day

Started the day out on 4 hours of sleep......

Why 4 hours of sleep? I could not stop thinking about all the material I still have to get through before the final exam in 1.5 weeks, and worrying if I have taught the material well enough. What do I expect from a class full of students who can use a study guide on the test and do not do it? Let alone their homework?

Got to school with a "warm" welcome from one of the security guards who also helps out with the girls basketball team. Keep in mind this is the same security guard who kept asking me "What can WE do to get ____ to pass so he can be eligible to play?" all through football season. Bear with me, all of the boys I "bumped" up to play are still failing my class despite their promise to come see me to get additional tutoring.

So Mr. Security came by to find out what one of his "star" basketball players can do to get her grade up for the 5th DAY IN A ROW! My answer is always the same...."She can come to class." So I am taking time out of my morning preparing for the day to talk AGAIN with the coach and tell him the exact same thing. She has 28 absences and 24 tardies in my class. 28 ABSENCES! Technically, I can drop her at 15. Have I done that? NO! Why? You would not imagine how difficult it has been to initiate paperwork to have a student dropped for non-attendance. I have tried and failed for multiple students. I don't even know what the process is! No one has a straight answer for me!

So this female student actually showed up to class today. We were doing a Performance Based Assessment which is a test. In the middle of class, the HEAD coach (who is a teacher himself) walks in to my room and asks me to pull the student out from taking the test to talk AGAIN about her failing grade and her lack of attendance. I repeated myself AGAIN to the head coach and put the responsibility back on the student. Needless to say, she did not finish the exam which is 5% of her grade because of this delay.

That was issue #1

Issue #2 came in 3rd period when I had a male student come in to class without a pencil. We JUST had a parent meeting for this kid YESTERDAY MORNING! The student, his mother, HIS PERSONAL ADVOCATE, his school counselor, and 5 of his 8 teachers showed up to talk about his failing grades and why he is failing. Keep in mind I showed up early, with all my materials ready. Student work samples, his lab book, his grade report, and his attendance report. School counselor was not ready, did not have his grade report printed, or his attendance report and had to "refresh her memory" as to why we were even having the meeting in the first place. Oh, and she was 7 minutes late and still had to print everything.

I showed the advocate, mother, and student his lab book, explained what was wrong and had the student tell them all what he had to do to fix it. I left to start teaching. One of his biggest issues (aside from not doing anything) is the fact that he writes in pen in my class. One rule in my room.......NO PEN! I even have those golf pencils that I save from my part-time job for the kids to use. They are in a drawer right where they have always been and he still CHOOSES to write in pen. No problem. Now we had a parent meeting so all is well right? No more pen. Not to mention the countless papers I have graded with messages such as; "No Pen - next time = no grade" "No Pen - Final Warning" "No Pen - next time = 0"

Today he showed up and started taking his quiz in pen. I walked by his desk 3 x's and asked him to get a pencil. On the 3rd time, I told him if he chose to continue in pen, he would get a 0. His neighbor next to him took pity on him and gave him the pencil HE was USING and got another pencil out for himself! Then the pity party started. The scoffing, the wiggling in his seat, the groaning the sighing. But he did not pick up the pencil. Again, I walked by his desk 3 more times asking him to get to work. On the 3rd time, I told him, "You can either choose to get to work or excuse yourself to your counselor's office." Then I stared at him. He responded by rolling his eyes, then saying, "What?" I took his quiz written in pen (which I could tell he failed miserably) and gave him a new quiz. I told him to get to work and he said, "Let me copy my answers down." I said, "Nope, try again." My intention was to get him to have to re-read all the questions so he would know what to study. He said, "Well, I am not going to do that." I stared him right in the eyes and said, "You have 10 seconds to either pick up the pencil and participate, or you can excuse yourself to your counselor (school counselor). Choose." He picked up his backpack and walked out.

I called the counselor and let her know he was on his way down. Keep in mind, this has already taken my time away from my 24 other students who are actually working on their quiz and have now been interrupted. His counselor said, "Well, what is going on?" I told her the student could explain it to her when he arrived and I would be down on my lunch to talk to her about it.

Like a fool, I thought it was over. I started teaching again and we were going over the quiz when my phone rang. 2nd interruption in my class time. It is the counselor. "Ms. Dooley, I gave him 3 pencils, can he come back and copy his answers down on the quiz and finish it?" EXCUSE ME? "No, he cannot. He was sent down to you for his behavior and because of the choice he made. This has nothing to do with pencils. He needs to work out his behavior and choices with you." The conversation rattled on for about 2 minutes when I told her, "I have a class, I will be down on my lunch to talk to you about it." I hung up the phone.

7 minutes later, I am now teaching the next part of my lesson and the counselor walks in my room. She stands right next to me like, "I need to talk to you" as I am in the middle of TEACHING! What, so now I am supposed to neglect my 24 other students AGAIN to talk about this?!

I told the class to work on their homework for the following day and stepped out in to the hall. The counselor said, "Well, I think we have a communication problem." I stopped her right there. COMMUNICATION PROBLEM? I DON'T THINK SO! I realized that I was now going to have to be the counselor and do her job for her in addition to my job and my 24 other students that I am actually paid to teach....

To the student; "You made the choice not to participate in the quiz. What is the one rule in my room? No pen. (he knew this) Where do I have pencils for you to use in my class? (he knew this too) You have to make the choice to pass and graduate. You had 8 adults.... let me say that again, 8 ADULTS in a meeting for YOU yesterday all saying, 'please graduate, please do you homework, we will help you do your homework, we will help you pass the class' - now it is up to you to do it. You have to want it, You have to make the decision that you are going to get a pencil and start over on a quiz when your teacher tells you to. Our job as teachers is to help you pass. Not to keep you from passing, but to help you pass. BUT YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE TO PASS. This is not about a pencil. This is about you failing to take responsibility for your own education and blaming everyone else except yourself."

Oh, I rattled his cage big time. By the time I was done talking, his lower lip was quivering. Big ol' Mr. Tough Guy who has BOTH a mom & dad to support him AND a personal advocate. I had it! I am done! He kept looking away or trying to roll his eyes and I kept moving my face so I was right in his line of sight the entire time. I even told him my favorite phase my father told me, "Look at me so I know you are listening." This by the way is supposedly a big no-no for teachers because we have to "give kids an out." I did not want him to have an out. His out was 2 months ago when I called his mother. His out was when I spoke to his advisory teacher about his grades. His out was when I talked to his counselor about his grades. His out was when I requested him to come see me in advisory and he never showed up. I am done with out's.

I ended the conversation by telling him he was more than welcome to come back in the room when he made his decision and I would love to have him take the quiz. I looked at the counselor and told her if I had any other issues, I was sending him to see her and he wasn't going to come back. I shook his hand and told him tomorrow was a new day and walked back in to my room.

I have had a headache ever since. It's been 9 hours and I am still mad at his counselor.

Issue #3

I spent 2 days writing a review sheet for my Physical Science kids for the final in 1.5 weeks. I was very careful to include all material covered the ENTIRE first semester that was on the actual final. Today, I find out the district has changed the final and the new final is much different than the final I wrote the study guide for. Lesson learned: ALWAYS check the district site for updated midterm and final exams before writing any review or lesson. Also: Hound the district curriculum specialist to get the final exam finished before there are only 4 weeks left in the semester.

Got an even bigger headache.