Thursday, May 26, 2005
The End of the Year as We Know It
They tell me that Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. And nowhere is that more evident than at Underwood High School. Even last week, focus began to dwindle. With less than three full weeks of school left, students realize that they are entering the home stretch. They can gauge exactly where they are gradewise and whether or not summer school is in their future. This makes actual teaching increasingly difficult since the vast majority of students who are failing feel the need to disrupt class and hinder the efforts of those who are passing!
How else to explain the 40 minute debates on the merits of various video game systems that took place during an attempt to demonstrate the impact of increased solute on the boiling and freezing points of a solution? Or a student who would rather be carted off to security or face down a vice-principal than change his seat? Or my favorite...the "students" who continue to arrive regularly in my classroom without a backpack, notebook, pencil, or any other supplies! In an ideal world, I would be able to put up a sign outside my door requiring all students to have a binder and a pen. Oh, and somewhere to put their stuff because lockers are not provided for free at Underwood. Actually, the lockers are free, but annual lock rental is $5, so the students generally do not see a need to obtain one.
This buffet line of student behavior problems is only futher compounded by the administration, whose inconsistent discipline policies and unscheduled schoolwide functions have thrown my carefully constructed unit schedules completely out of synch. Hall sweeps are held at irregular intervals, sometimes five minutes after a period is scheduled to start, other times nearly twenty minutes in, and the penalties vary from the ever popular nothing to a detention. Frustrating any way you play it. And let's not even get started ont he debacle that was last week's Career Day. Keeping students waiting for nearly an hour and a half before seeing their first guest was rather ludicrous, but discovering later that there were not enough guests to fill the allotted 2.5 hr. time proved to be the icing on the cake. Thankfully, I was able to duck out during the last hour to work on a lesson.
I have tried my best to maintain innovative lesson plans in the face of dwindling student interest. We have made both butter and ice cream in class this year, and my hope is to snag a Dewar full of liquid nitrogen before everything is said and done, but we'll see how well that works out. Sadly this week is a wash due to field trips, so i plan to have the students create vocabulary review books in an attempt to help them prepare for the final exam and supplement their grades. I doubt this will do very much to change the percentages of passing and failing students...but such is life. At least until June 15th or so.
And it seems it will be my life at least one more year. Despite the conclusion of my two year commitment at the end of this school year, I need time this summer to ascertain my next move, so I will remain at Underwood at least through next year as I start thinking about the next steps in my life. I'll be working as a member of the building committee, possibly volunteering in the roster office, and oh yeah...possibly teaching junior year chemistry? Yeah, I'm a little surprised on that one too...
More news as events merit.
They tell me that Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. And nowhere is that more evident than at Underwood High School. Even last week, focus began to dwindle. With less than three full weeks of school left, students realize that they are entering the home stretch. They can gauge exactly where they are gradewise and whether or not summer school is in their future. This makes actual teaching increasingly difficult since the vast majority of students who are failing feel the need to disrupt class and hinder the efforts of those who are passing!
How else to explain the 40 minute debates on the merits of various video game systems that took place during an attempt to demonstrate the impact of increased solute on the boiling and freezing points of a solution? Or a student who would rather be carted off to security or face down a vice-principal than change his seat? Or my favorite...the "students" who continue to arrive regularly in my classroom without a backpack, notebook, pencil, or any other supplies! In an ideal world, I would be able to put up a sign outside my door requiring all students to have a binder and a pen. Oh, and somewhere to put their stuff because lockers are not provided for free at Underwood. Actually, the lockers are free, but annual lock rental is $5, so the students generally do not see a need to obtain one.
This buffet line of student behavior problems is only futher compounded by the administration, whose inconsistent discipline policies and unscheduled schoolwide functions have thrown my carefully constructed unit schedules completely out of synch. Hall sweeps are held at irregular intervals, sometimes five minutes after a period is scheduled to start, other times nearly twenty minutes in, and the penalties vary from the ever popular nothing to a detention. Frustrating any way you play it. And let's not even get started ont he debacle that was last week's Career Day. Keeping students waiting for nearly an hour and a half before seeing their first guest was rather ludicrous, but discovering later that there were not enough guests to fill the allotted 2.5 hr. time proved to be the icing on the cake. Thankfully, I was able to duck out during the last hour to work on a lesson.
I have tried my best to maintain innovative lesson plans in the face of dwindling student interest. We have made both butter and ice cream in class this year, and my hope is to snag a Dewar full of liquid nitrogen before everything is said and done, but we'll see how well that works out. Sadly this week is a wash due to field trips, so i plan to have the students create vocabulary review books in an attempt to help them prepare for the final exam and supplement their grades. I doubt this will do very much to change the percentages of passing and failing students...but such is life. At least until June 15th or so.
And it seems it will be my life at least one more year. Despite the conclusion of my two year commitment at the end of this school year, I need time this summer to ascertain my next move, so I will remain at Underwood at least through next year as I start thinking about the next steps in my life. I'll be working as a member of the building committee, possibly volunteering in the roster office, and oh yeah...possibly teaching junior year chemistry? Yeah, I'm a little surprised on that one too...
More news as events merit.
