Not really, but I am my own TST (teacher support team). Awesome students, not so awesome students, average students, failing students, students who have failed this class one or two times before, and students who just don't care; I deal with them all, I plan lessons to accommodate all of them, and I plan interventions to reach all of my "diverse learners".
In the great state of <insert name here>, much like other states, we classify students based on tiers.
Tier 1 = typical students
Tier 2 = students at risk of failing
Tier 3 = students who have failed 2 or more classes in the past
Once a student gets to Tier 3, the TST, comprised of much smarter people than myself, is supposed to step in and plan awesome interventions that the teachers can implement in the classroom. In "The County" I am officially my own TST. Even though I document interventions and students' responses to intervention, nothing ever comes of it. It is amazing how progressive the education system is in the nether regions of our beloved country.
At the end of the day, If you are failing a class where there are 3 tests, 5 in class art projects, and 20 daily grades/classwork assignments, then you deserve to fail. Aside from the sheer quantity of assignments given in the first 9 weeks, I have used collaborative learning groups, learning through song, educational videos, and tons of graphics.
There comes a time when the blame slides off the teachers back and creeps up on the student. The blame then leaps onto the student and grabs him or her around the neck and clings tightly. That time is now. If Billy and Suzie choose not to complete assignments, it is not Ms. Smith's job to convince them that it would be in their best interest to make an effort to complete their work. If Billy and Suzie are absent more times than they are present, it is not Ms. Smith's job to hunt them down to give them 3-4 weeks worth of make-up work. Even when Ms. Smith goes above and beyond the call of duty to put together missing work for Billy and Suzie and she then tells them that they need to complete this extra work by <insert date here> to pass the class, it is not Ms. Smith's job to force Billy and Suzie to complete said make-up work and turn it in before grades are due.
The struggle is real
Why do you think Billy and Suzie of Tier 3 don't care while Jack and Jill of Tier 1 do?? Is it self motivation? Is it the parents?? Do you think there is an underlying reason at all?
ReplyDeleteTypically Billy and Suzie of Tier 3 are used to failing, and they have grown "comfortable" with underachieving. It's almost as if they have learned to fail, so it's a part of their psyche. So yea, Billy and Suzie of Tier 3 lack self motivation, and their parents think their kids are dumb, so nobody is shocked when they fail.
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