Choices - make yours count

I have been thinking alot about my students lately, in part because of that group that totally annoyed me this week by acting stupid when I had a sub.

And I realize it all comes down to choices.

Part of what I always loved about math is the decision making/problem solving that you do. The kids want me to come up with review games. I think those are so stupid. I always wanted to learn the math for the math. They want to trash my room playing trashketball.

Here are some of the decisions they have made this week:
* three of my students will not finish the year because they are in jail. Drugs, assault, theft. Three others that I have taught in the past are there as well.

* Four students had projects taken off my desk (before they were graded) the day I had the sub. I know these kids - they do their work, get good grades, don't cheat. I believe they did it. I believe someone took it. Why would you not copy it and return the original?

* Some of the seniors have taken to wandering the halls, cussing. The cussing isn't new, the wandering is. They get a note to go to A and then don't.

* I give study guides and let them see my work after I have shared it with them. (I would prefer they do it, but I only get a couple in each class who will. I need to change that next year). Boy copies mine, but not entirely, then argues with me that the way he wrote it is the way I wrote it. Why not just copy the whole thing?

* I mentioned the girl who expected me to help her with another teacher's exam - then yelled at me "If you don't help me I will fail!" to which I replied "the time to ask for help is in class during the review not during the exam."

* Another girl was threatening that she was going to argue with each of her teachers at graduation because the school was so lame.

* One girl loudly accused me of messing with her grades because the average kept going down and "I do all my work" - her grades lately have been 2 to 15 points below her average. Obviously I taught her no math that she can't see that.

* I have kids I haven't seen in class in weeks. They come to school enough to not get dropped, but they are failing me. Yes, I am documenting conversations.

I don't get it.

I can feel my anger building and then I just want to teach younger grades again. Seniors - too late.