A Diamond in the Rough

All in all, this week has been pretty quiet. My students spent most of the week working on their research projects. Using the textbook (since they don’t all have computers at home and I don’t have access to a computer lab or laptop cart), they each did research on an Animal phylum or class. This was the first big project I’d given them in quite some time because, with previous assignments, I received a couple that were fantastic, a few noble tries, but the majority of my students didn’t even bother. It was rather disheartening.

This time around, I was extremely diligent and prepared. I gave them 2 weeks to work on the assignment, I gave them multiple in-class days, and I was very explicit on what they should be working on and when. When Friday came around (the official due date), 3 out of 4 of my classes had at least half the students ready to present and a decent number of others that were visibly still trying to complete their projects. While it may not seem like much, this is a marked improvement from what I saw in the previous semester.

It is an unfortunate fact but many students don’t know how to be students. They go to school because they are told that they have to. There is no why, just do. Yet, at the same time, they are often encouraged to stay home to help out around the house because that is more important. Talk about mixed messages. So, it is no surprise that my attendance averages 1/3 absent on a daily basis.

This is especially unsurprising when you take into account the fact that their parents will write them a note or their friend will forge one (they practice in their notebooks) and their absence will be excused. This means that there is no consequence for missing school other than a bad grade. But what is a grade other than a silly number, if it is good enough, will get them into 2-4 more years of school?

To this mindset, add the fact that, in elementary school, they spent most of their time cleaning, coloring and playing with their friends while their teacher enjoyed nap time. Because of this, they were moved on to the next level not because they were ready but because they were another year older.

I know I am over simplifying. These are not the precise experiences of every single student here; I have plenty of students that are fantastic (my diamonds in the rough); but these are all firsthand accounts that I have either heard of (from students and other teachers) or experienced in the past 10 months. Combine all of this together and you have the very prominent attitude that high school teachers here battle on a daily basis.

That being said, this Friday’s presentations showed me that my students really are making positive strides. They are finally realizing that, unlike some of their other teachers, I want them to not only complete the work but complete it well. They realize that, if they want to pass, I expect their best and nothing less. For some, this is the first time anyone has ever held them to this standard. The truth is, true improvement takes time. Even diamonds have to start off as detritus (ß Science word, 10 points).