Do-Over! – Wednesday, 21 February 2018 52/365
Declutterfication: My copy room mailbox was overflowing with master copies of numerous “important papers.” I got rid of a bunch of them because they were from first semester projects. Woohoo!
When students achieve scores below 70% on tests, quizzes, or assignments, our junior high policy is to allow retakes for up to 70%. If I made the policy I would either have the students earn the second grade (or highest grade if they do worse on the retake) or take an average of the two (one of Darling Son’s teachers did this, and it seemed effective with the accelerated students). Here’s the deal: If I am a junior high student and I am only allowed 70% on a re-do, why would I strive for excellence if the highest score I could achieve is a basement level C? Hmmmm??? Not my policy, but I have to abide by it.
Today one of my students did a retake on a difficult test. I don’t remember his original score, but it was below fifty percent. His retake? 100. I know this kid. He’s smart. He’s capable. His work in my class has been a solid B, sometimes low A. Language Arts is just not his thing. I get that. When a student who usually does not do well in a subject scores a perfect paper, eyebrows raise. What’s up with this? Sometimes, those blessed sometimes, it is because a student has completely engaged with a topic or task. Sometimes, alas, it is with a high level of parental “assistance.” (Side note: once I had a student look at my comments on a rough draft and his response was, “I didn’t know they did that! I didn’t even write that!” So, yeah.) Back to our regularly scheduled not-quite-a-rant rant. And…sometimes it is because of cheating. Whether it is plagiarized cheating or getting the answers from a source outside of your head cheating, it is cheating. I want students to be able to know where to go to find answers! I want them to ask great questions! On the few times a test requires recall, I want them to use their brains to figure out the answer. On standardized tests, they have to do that. My teacher created quizzes and tests are designed to help them do that. If they are cheating, they won’t be able to do that.
This reminds me of a high school tennis option I took for P.E. many years ago. There was one student who I hated playing; if she served and made a mistake, she called out, “Do-over!” If she fumbled in some way on the court, she called out, “Do over!” I remember thinking, but being too polite to verbalize it, “What? Are you four years old?” Yes, I believe in second chances, but sometimes the result is what was honestly earned. Just saying.
Wednesday, the twenty-first of February of 2018: I brushed and flossed. Day 52 of 365 writing entries!
