Today was the first day of exams for the second quarter. My 8th Grade world history exam was one of the first, and as anticipated, most of my kids did not turn in their homework or the two page research paper we have been working on ALL QUARTER. I actually turned one away because it was blatantly a copy/past job. I told the kid to re-write it tonight and hand it in in the morning for reduced credit…hopefully others will follow suit.
Many of the students came to me after the exam exclaiming how “easy” it was. I’ll be the judge of that! Grading shall commence…shortly (aka, as soon as I can bring myself to do it.) The plus side of having a lot of work to do is that I get my blogging done. And boy do I ever have work to do! Aside from needing to grade the world history finals…and papers…and late homeworks…just world history class in general, I also need to finalize my grades for art and activities classes (which are only slightly more promising than the world history grades) AND plan what I’m going to do for all three classes next quarter.
What is it going to take to motivate these kids? I even came into the review day dressed as a Celtic warrior, complete with torc, woad, spiked hair and kilt, and I still barely had anyone join me to study (I put the kilt on AT school, for fear of being shot for being a cross-dresser…you laugh, but it would probably happen)! I then got home early only to realize I had left my house keys at home (kilts don’t have pockets you see) and consequently spent the next three hours sitting on my front porch. I had to climb over the fence to do that, but it was worth it to get out of the sun.
It’s been warming up here you see. It’s actually very nice (mid seventies to eighties), and the cold bucket showers are now simply “brisk” instead of “oh look, a polar bear”. Just as well, because it took a long time to get all the hair gel out yesterday (spiked hair for the Celt costume remember? Are you paying attention?)
Anyway, this afternoon the faculty of the middle school sat down and discussed how to try and reach out to the kids. Maki and Angela are going to have day with the girls to try and teach them some self-respect and self-confidence (and boy do they need it), while Dan and I are trying to tackle the seemingly impossible task of teaching the boys a little self-control. I don’t want much from them (they are still in the throes of puberty after all), just enough to bring them up from “total anarchy” to “there’s light at the end of the tunnel”.
Dan suggested getting one of the local priests involved. I forget his name, but he is pretty young, and really good with the kids. We’re thinking of taking the guys for a day hike some place. There is some really nice scenery around here, and some male bonding would be good for these guys. Many have a poor, or no, father figure in their lives. Oh goodness, does that mean I have to be ready to fill that role? I think I could do an okay job, but many of these guy’s goal in life is to be on Jersey Shore, and I don’t know how to even begin to relate to that.
Andrew, it's amazing to see how much effort you put in to help these kids. Have you ever considered teaching at a private school when you come home? At private schools, all you need is a college diploma. I volunteered at two low-income private schools in the city, Mother Seton and Cristo Rey, and I think you would do a phenomenal job of motivating the kids at a school like that.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your grading and your "bonding trip" with the boys!!