Two weeks later she replies to me and gives excuses to why her child did not do the work: she is too busy, she rushes through things, and she sometimes forgets. Then she proceeded to tell me how I should change my classroom rules. Never once has she mentioned that she will see to it that her child starts completing the work or there will be a conseuence. She even went so far to say that I should give her MORE work. Lady, she isn’t even turning in the work she has now. and, isn’t that a punishment for the teacher.

Here is a solution: JUST DO THE WORK. Simple as that.

I called my mom to ask what they would do if I missed homework. Did you call the teacher and tell her she was to blame or she was doing something wrong. My mom just laughed and said you and your brother always did your work and you didn’t miss assignments because YOUR DaD WOULDN’T LET THaT FLY.

a lot of this stuff comes from home.

I am using a new way of grading this year, where students must prove proficiency of a set list of standards. (There’s more to it,but too long to type) If students do not like their current grade on any standard, they may remediate with me after school.

I have three days as a week after school for kids to work with me. Only after they have completed a remediation plan (which student and I design), may they retest. I never use the same test…it’s always something different…sometimes I have students create the test and answer key for me.

They cannot retest unless the plan is complete, and they have one shot to retest. If they do poorly on the retest (which in theory, they shouldn’t, as the plan should be set up to make the student really work and know the material), then that’s the grade they receive on the standard. I tell kids all of the time that if they aren’t ready to retest…if they need more time, take it. Don’t rush to retest.

This way, it puts the responsibility back on the kids, which IMO, is where it needs to be. When I have parents complain about their kid’s grade, I can literally state that their kid has not come to remediate with me.

(I keep a remediation sign-up sheet and any work a kid does during remediation in a binder, should I need to reference what was done during remediation)

In Los Angeles we are moving into the models of Small Learning Communities. Right now we have 4 SLCs at my school. As a matter of fact, the commentor Ron is one of our Engineering teachers at the small school we work at. Even in small schools, parent involvement lacks. I have 130 students, I saw a lot on parent night and that was only 28.

It’s a problem and of course, the parents who come are never the parents of the kids who we really need to come!

I guess looking at each kid as an individual rather than part of a herd might help, are high schools too big? I guess bringing back technical and trade programs for h.s. kids who want to learn a trade might help, why did they get rid of those programs in the first place? I guess allowing bright kids to move through the material much faster might help, why can’t they graduate in 2 or 3 years and continue their studies at affordable junior colleges or work to save money for rising college costs? I’m sure we could all come up with ideas that might help and a few of you might even try to implement them, you have the time. I don’t I’m retiring soon so I’m leaving it up to you to make a different to kids. I know you can do it.

i accept the fact that something may be going on at home that may prevent or preclude a student from doing homework. what i have a harder time accepting is that there is not anything going on at home that encourages the student to excel in their studies. too many parents are turning their kids over to schools and expecting the school to do all the work.

i often tell my students that the two most important people in the educational process are the student and the parent. there is a lot of evidence for that, but it seems as though students, and parents, would like it if teachers could simply cut open the heads of students, pour in the knowledge, and close it up again, something akin to neo in the matrix, who finds that when he needs a new bit of knowledge, his operator simply inserts a new chip into the computer, and bingo, knowledge exists.

it’s no accident that private school students do much better, but it’s not because the education they are receiving is superior. in fact, the education they receive is often inferior, taught by low paid, unqualified teachers. the difference is parental involvement. in private school, parents are REQUIRED to be involved, or their child is expelled. likewise home-schooled children, taught by housewives who may not have much education beyond high school themselves, seem to excel. with a parent sitting right there at the elbow of the student, failure really is not an option.

i don’t know if it is cultural or generational or a sign of the times, but students just don’t work as they should. unfortunately, when students fail a grade, they are simply moved on to the next one, that is, until high school, where they are finally held to account. sadly, when they fail in high school, many decide to drop out. they have limited their options so severely, they have no choice.

btw, check out this 8th grade final exam from a school in salina kansas–in 1895!
http://im8×10.com/pages/eighth_grade_exam.html

As far as the packets to improve grades, some kids took advantage of them, I’m sitting here grading the last tests and returned packets now. However, about five kids asked me to help them learn how to study, and like you, I made time after school and not one kid has shown up so far. Tutoring should be a choice, not punishment. I could call homes, tell parents it’s mandatory, but then I am giving teaching and learning as punishment and there’s no reward in that.

I’m like you in that my students have very little homework. I also don’t grade everything. I explain to them at the beginning of the year that in life you do not get rewarded for those things you’re supposed to do anyway. I also tell them that we reward pets when they sit, stay, obey; I don’t treat kids this way. What I am finding is that my kids are trying to do more note taking and work that they know they get no credit so maybe the “Learn for you, not for me, not for your parents, not for the government” speech is working.

There were MANY F’s on my first set of progress reports too. Even by bumping up the LOW Fs to 50%! I guess the goal of the whole “you get half credit even if you get a 0″ is to keep their grade what it is, but not so far from a D so that the motivated kids will work to get it back. Most kids aren’t F students, they just don’t work because they don’t see value in their education.

It’s sad and true. Sort of like voting in our country, many don’t because they don’t think their actions matter. I think the work here needs to be “How to create value AND when they don’t see value how to convince them that it’s still worth their while”.