The assignment -- Give a speech about a place you might like to visit and an activity you might like to try there."
Prep time -- Two hours in a computer lab, accompanied by constant admonitions to stop wasting time, stop looking a pictures of trucks, ask if you need help, etc...
The result -- actual speech given by a student in a local English class in its entirety. This might have been one of the more well thought out speeches given.
"I'd like to visit Italy and climb Mount Everest. I would need some boots and a jacket and some gloves.
The teacher's response -- Are you aware that Mt. Everest is nowhere near Italy? Have you done any research at all? This followed by a ten minute lecture about the importance of "taking care of business" and "checking one's facts" as students sniggered and grinned at one another about the room.
The grade reporting -- Mid semester two thirds of students failing
A Happy interlude -- The teacher is called into the office where he is greeted by the school principal and two of the school couselors. A question/comment is posed by the principal. Why are so many students failing your class?
They don't do anything.
Later in the conversation a comment by one of the counselors.
I see by your gradebook these students turned in their work. Why are all your grades so low? You almost never give a high grade. Why is that? Remember these are just kids and they're trying their best.
But they're not really trying, they're not doing much of anything.
A comment to end the meeting -- While I'm not asking you to compromise your standards, I do think you should consider that when we have large numbers of failure in core subjects this often manifests itself as an increase in the drop out rate. We have to ask ourselves if we want these kids leaving school because they find themselves lacking so many credits they can't possibly catch up.
A side note -- Recent comment made by an area student -- I plan to go to summer school. They have a place in Fritch where you can get all your Senior credits in two weeks. I want to graduate early.
Who says the educational system isn't working?
LOL. Great post Calamus.
What the solution to the problem?
What [sic] the solution to the problem?
Oops! I guess proofreading before hitting the publish button might be a good start. My bad!
That should be: What's the solution to the problem?
Commenting by HaloScan
