I have a student who is failing several classes. He is quick to tell you he doesn't know anything because teachers from middle school wouldn't teach or help him. I cannot get him to copy notes from the board - neither can the teachers in the other classes he's failing. His mother will tell you it is because he doesn't understand it.
What do you have to understand to copy notes?
I build in a grade boost because I am a hard grader and cannot figure out how to change that. So, if they do the warmup every day (and I make sure the correct answer is on the board) and turn it in at the end every fortnight (love that word) you get a quiz grade that should be an easy 100. In the course of a semester, they're worth about 15 points on your final grade.
This student will not do that.
But, his father is buying him a car for his 16th birthday and his mother is encouraging him to get written up again so he'll get expelled. And when you meet the parents, they will tell you they have no idea how to get him to work. I am no genius, but I know how to reward him for not working.
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3 comments:
I'm with you, Ricochet. The parents should really look at their behavior in all of this. Parents must be involved in order for the kid to succeed, not enabling and supporting poor behavior.
Buying a car for a kid who won't even copy notes from the board is a recipe for disaster. Once the kid gets his car, he's gone!
We (teachers with teenagers of our own) pointed this out to the dad when we met with him in the fall - that at the point they are waiting for wheels you have more power than you ever will again.
We quit meeting with dad because no0thing changed and he said he didn't want to come anymore.
Interestingly enough, after the boy told me he'd been told by his mom to get written up, he begged me not to write him up for swearing.
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