Confessions from the Couch

Love or Hate

While watching TV show, I heard the following question, “Am I supposed to love this job or hate it?” Everyone knows I am having the the 5th year blues . . .a co-work suggested that it was just the 5th year dip, a time when you begin to question yourself and educational policies and effectiveness. According to that teacher, if I return next year, the questions won’t matter, there won’t be righteous indignation, just compliance . . . Can I teach without the passion that accompanies it?

A few tidbits from school:

Earlier this week, my students approached me about homecoming–3 basketball players. They asked why I was not coordinating the activities anymore? I explained that I resigned from the position a year ago. They were upset b/c they felt like this homecoming was going to be lame. They could tell it wasn’t well planned. “But you did football,” they whined. I rambled, that I was sucked into football at the last minute b/c the new coordinator claimed she didn’t know what she was doing. Really, I don’t think my excuse went over well.

Why the boys were so upset with me: They are actually winning games this year and they feel that homecoming should be a celebration of that. Needless to say, the boys were pretty disappointed. And now I feel guilty! In relinquishing some of my duties, I failed to remember that this type of stuff really matters to kids. To these students, it was me rejecting them, rather than rejecting the job.

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I wrote a textbook post yesterday . . .and I still haven’t decided what I am going to do. Someone mention in the comments that kids really don’t like book work. It is the exact opposite here.

Before the Christmas holidays, I had a some students to come in after school to make up quizzes & missing work. As we were wrapping up to go home, a student asked, “Why don’t you give more book work.”

Shocked, I looked at her , “you want more bookwork?”

“Well, Miss Teacha, it is easier.”

They other kids in the room (honor students) started fussing. “Girl, are you crazy! Uh-unh, we don’t want book work. Miss Teacha, don’t you listen to her.”

We laughed and joked around. And I promised her more bookwork–I did keep my promise after Winter Break. We dedicated a day just for bookwork. I told my classes to thank the student who requested more book work. They all looked around at each other trying to figure out who made the request, meanwhile I giggled. I know it was wrong.

After thinking about the conversation, what I realized is that students would rather do book work b/c most teachers just give them the work and sit down. They don’t care about senseless chatter. For the students book work is a time to socialize on top of it being fairly easy & mindless. Additionally, teachers give book work as make up work, rather than have them do the original assignment. For example, if we watched a video and had a video guide while you were out, you must make time to come and watch the video and complete the guide. I do not allow you to just copy someone’s guide and turn it in-I must watch you do the work. If we did bookwork as makeup work, the student could just do the work from the book (or copy from someone else). And, for me, that is not the same learning experience as those who were in class! I’ll save our school’s willy nilly make up work policy for another post.

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This past week, I realized that I have to SPED (low performing, low skills) students in my honors classes. I did not receive an IEP from the SPED department until this past week. Readers may be asking: couldn’t you tell? Yeah, I could tell something was not right and yes, their grades were poor, but I didn’t have time to investigate (seeing as how I have 7 classes, 4 preps, one of which is an AP course and 2 extra curricular clubs). So, I go to SPED teacher and explain the problem. She can’t take them out of my class. She sends me to Assistant Principal, “it is awfully late in the year to do anything about this. Can you modify to meet the terms of the IEP?”

My response, “Modify an honors level course for lower level?”

“Go back to SPED teacher and come up with some ways to modify”

Are YOU kidding me? I think. So at some point during the week, I’ll be meeting with SPED teacher to come up with modifications for an HONORS course–and ya’ll know they are going to ask, why do they get use the book on the test? And then pulling students out & calling parents to discuss this and fixing the 1st semester grades.

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*sigh* I guess I can say, it’s both . . .I love and hate this job!

Reflections, random school comments | Miss Teacha | January 24, 2010 12:17 pm

6 Comments

By Midwest Teacher, January 24, 2010 @ 3:01 pm

Do you know what their SPED classifications are? Are they learning disabled, or lower IQ, or BD? I could see that LD or BD kids may succeed in an honors class. If their IQ is lower, leading to myriad SPED issues, then their placement in honors is crap. We have a few kids who’ve been placed in honors at parents request even though they don’t have the capacity or skills to handle it. You know the parents want this because (in theory) honors classes are better, behavior-wise.
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By cupcake, January 24, 2010 @ 7:07 pm

Thank goodness my school district is not the only one that allows students with IEPs to take Honors-level classes. I’ll never understand it, and if I were the parent of a non-IEP kid, I’d be a wee tad ticked off that my child’s performance is being judged at the same grade-weight as a kid who receives modifications. But then again, I’m mean spirited.

I completely forsake the textbook because ours is wretched. The only time it’s dusted off and thrown on their desks is when I want to prove to them that I am more entertaining.
By TeacherMom, January 25, 2010 @ 9:25 am

Maybe they are ED? If that’s the case, you won’t have to modify your curriculum.
By Kary, January 25, 2010 @ 10:21 am

I have had a few SPEd kids in my AP and my Honors classes. I did not modify the work for them so much as I made things into group work, or let them have as much time as they needed to get the work turned in by the end of the six weeks. I have had LD, and ED kids they thrived in an honor or AP environment because there were fewer distractions, the kids were more willing to help and the projects and hands on activities created a great learning environment for them all.
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