Saturday, December 19, 2009

Potential

Student (who refuses to do any of the options I have given him to raise his grade to passing): I have more potential than any of your other students.

I told him it was too bad I graded work not potential.

We are at an impasse: I hope he realizes he will need to do the work because I am NOT grading potential.

Another - who will not do ANYTHING - told me he was lazy. That was the reason for not doing the work. Wow. That gives me an incentive to help him. Putting in a 60 or 65 to replace the missing grades - gives him a 60 or 65. 70 is passing.

I am trying to figure out how that helps anything.
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4 comments:

Pissedoffteacher said...

Ihave a kid with a 0 average who keeps telling me math is his best subject. I don't knowwhat planet these kids live on, its not earth.

December 19, 2009 at 5:55 AM
Ricochet said...

This goes along with your post about young teachers. (I posted a comment - it didn't show) I think these students have had their egos stroked (you have such wonderful potential; here, do this and I will pass you) to the point that when I put things in that should help them (like a ridiculously easy writing assignment in math), they refuse to do ALL of the assignment but expect 100 anyway.

Lord, where will we be when these kids grow up and take over the world?

December 19, 2009 at 5:59 AM
Madeleine said...

I can relate to all these situations. Most (!) of my students don't do any assignments until we get close to grade time. Then they clamor to know how they can make things up - without any grade penalty, of course - and what can they do for extra credit?

I get the impression their entire school careers have been made from teacher grade-handouts.

December 25, 2009 at 6:25 AM
Elaine said...

I had a student put - in writing - that he didn't do his work for the entire chapter because he was lazy. (I made everyone who didn't hand in their work write me a paragraph about why they didn't have it.)

My response? That it was an EXCELLENT reason for me to schedule a parent/student/teacher conference! The only way he'd get out of that was if he showed up during lunch, after, and before school EVERY DAY until all the work was done... AND that I needed to see his work every day, or I'd be on the phone with his parents, scheduling that conference. All so we could help with his 'lazy' problem...

Amazingly enough, his lazy-problem is cured. For the moment at least. Dunno how long it will stay cured, but *I'm* not complaining for the moment!

For my kids who try to pull the talent/potential card on me, I refer them to my father's equation... Learning = work x Potential(or talent). It doesn't matter how much talent or potential you have, if work = 0. (I then usually follow with the 'so get off your butt, and do so work, already!)

It's just SO frustrating, though, when you're working your rear off all semester to get them to do SOMETHING, and then they turn around and blame you when they fail! As if we teachers REALLY have a choice in the matter when it comes to our students learning...

You can lead a horse(student) to water(knowledge), but you can't make 'em drink(learn)...

December 25, 2009 at 4:07 PM

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