Week 5

This week was all in all a good week. I felt like I had some solid engaging lessons in both Huck Finn & The Giver. Various times I was able to get my students up and working in small/large groups which will help me for my Student Impact Learning Project (How is that going for everyone by the way?)

I never thought I'd say this, but 6th period is finally coming around. It seems as if they are finally used to me and my routine. The outbursts and "off-taskness" (poetic license, sorry!) are becoming less and less frequent and I couldn't be happier. The students that usually gave me a hard time and either relating to me better or just mellowing out.

On the flip side, I've had Option II for the longest amount of time and have only been in charge of Option I for 2 1/2 weeks now. I find now that Period 3 is trying to test me in little ways. I have some students who are very smart but they refuse to do anything but the bare minimum of work. (I’m sure Ellen can commiserate with me in that respect  Really, these students could definitely be in Option II, but they refuse to put the work in. There have been times when I ask them a simple question that I KNOW they know the answer to, but they just sit there with a bored look on their face and say “I don’t know…”. Sometimes it makes me want to say “You know, English might not seem so boring to you if you would put in a pinch of effort!” It's hard when you see glimmers of excellence from these students only to be let down a little when they refuse to keep it going.
One thing I have realized this past week is that I like grading, but I don't like grading when I have to keep track of half credit, 1/4 credit, or even extra credit! It's too much to keep track of and I get such a headache. I find that the students who DON”T need the extra credit are the ones who go overboard with it, and the students who really need it pay it no bother. In addition, I've found that my students are so used to handing assignments in 3,4,5 days late and knowing that they will receive at least half credit. To me, it's a bit of a joke.

Thinking of my favorite/mentor English teacher back in High School, you either had your work, or you didn't. There was no half credit or anything like that because she had such high expectations. In essence, as a student, you would either sink or swim.
Knowing that this is the kind of routine my co op has adopted, it would be unfair to undo what she’s done for over half a year. However this makes me realize that when I have my own classroom, I will make certain my students know my expectations about deadlines because I want to prepare them for the realities of the “real world”… regardless of whether my students go into the armed forces, college, or the work force, one cannot perpetually turn their work in late and expect to be successful. The world doesn’t work that way!