Sunday, February 24, 2008

RIGOR

This year the school district has stressed implementing more rigorous lessons and assessments. I have attempted to comply. The results have been disheartening. The average grade on my last few tests have been circa 50. The failing students seem to find comfort in the fact that many sitting near them are failing also. I am annoyed because despite the fact that the students are not passing, they are not stepping up to the challenge. Rather than studying more (for most of them, studying at all), completing all assignments, and attending tutorial, the students are content to complain that if so many students are failing, then it must be the teacher's fault (despite the fact that with only a few exceptions, there are always students who make near 100 on the tests). While I do not contend to be the greatest teacher, I do know what I give my students everyday. If they were willing to put forth effort, they are given everything they need to succeed in my class.

While I am not at all sympathetic to the kids' failing grades because of their lack of effort, I do feel like they have been somewhat ambushed with a harder curriculum and tougher expectations. It is obvious that many of my students have reached me without having mastered basic mathematical skills like adding integers or fractions. It is not surprising that it would be challenging for the students to now have to apply those basic skills to more complicated concepts. It's like the bar has been raised for the children without the children being trained to be able to handle the greater challenge. I offer no excuse for them though. Life is not always fair. The students still need to tackle the challenges and put forth some effort to overcome them. It is the attitude of defeat that the students display that dooms them. It appears that before I teach math, I need to teach them to believe that they can have success even when it doesn't come easy.

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