I’m expecting my students’ mid-term exams back tomorrow. I’m trying to keep my expectations very low, but I fear that they’ll manage to surpass even my dimmest hopes.
I’ve got 17 kids in the class. Never once, in the six weeks we’ve been meeting, has the entire complement of students been present in the same room at once. Further, two students weren’t in class on the day I handed out the assignment and, because of computer problems beyond my control over the past week, I wasn’t able to send out an email until Saturday. Now, that still gives the kids three days to answer five questions about Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech, but I’m certain I’ll hear that my failure to send the email in a timely fashion is the reason that some students didn’t do the work.
I’m fully expecting that about a third of them won’t hand the assignment in at all. Of the two thirds left, probably 70% of them will have done the least possible thinking required to put words on the page – up to an including Incomprehensible Boy – and the rest will have done a decent job of it.
Sigh. I’m really not in the mood for this right now…
Man, I feel your pain. How are you supposed to teach them when they’re never there? It’s an impossible situation. Some of these kids don’t need a teacher – or at least, they sure don’t utilize a teacher. They need a tutor to follow them around and give them one-on-one instruction… and we’re just not paid enough!
How frustrating for you! I agree with DB, there’s you’re just not being paid enough to be teacher, tutor, and babysitter.
Poor attendance makes me crazy. I’m in my 4th semester (albeit part time) back, I work 40+ plus hours a week, AND I’VE NEVER MISSED CLASS. Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout. It’s just that…well, those are the kids getting the financial assistance I could really use.
Gah!