#iteach7

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I’m so disappointed in my students.

They had a project due on Thursday. They had an option of 3 essays (2 500 word essays and 1 4-page narrative writing), plus a multimedia presentation. They’ve had it for 5 weeks, the due date was on my board from day 1 and I talked about it at least 3 times a week. Well, the due date rolls around and I have about 12 kids (out of 108) not do it. More than I though, but it happens.

Now, I go to start presentations today and JUST OVER A QUARTER of my kids had the multimedia presentation done. WHAT!? I’m baffled. I truly am. It’s 10 of the 35 points for the project. And they KNOW this! They had the project description and the EXACT RUBRIC I used to grade them!!

But since I am a merciful God, I struck them a bargain. Those who turned everything in on time will get a few extra points. Those who turned in their essay but not their multimedia presentation MUST do it tonight and have it for me at the beginning of class tomorrow. And those who turned in nothing? I told them not to bother. Since they put forth no effort for me, my benevolence does not apply to this.

I was so mad at them, I could scream. And they’re still giving me excused. AUGH.

[teaching-center-stage]

Why are my students little disease pots that always seem to give me their plague?

Time to go make some ginger and honey tea. I think I have a lemon left.

[teaching-center-stage]

Why won’t my kids turn stuff in?

I have SO many Fs that it scares me. And it’s because they aren’t turning stuff in! If they were scoring low because they didn’t get the material, that would be different. I would happily spend time remediating with them and tutoring them. But they just aren’t doing the work! Even when we go over it in class, they’ll do half of it. It’s not like I give homework often. So when I say “finish it at home if you didn’t finish it in class,” it’s not like I’m adding that to a pile of homework for me. I even allowed them 2 WHOLE CLASS PERIODS to make up work for me before Thanksgiving. I had a whopping 6 kids use that (out of 132. You do the math). 

Also, every Friday I ask them to write me a paragraph about what they’re reading and more than half are like “Uh, Miss, I’m not reading anything. What do I write?” Nothing. Because you can’t. They don’t want me to start doing nightly reading logs, but if they don’t start doing it on their own, I’m going to have to! Which is just more grading for me. And then they get mad when I give them a 0 on the paragraph because it “isn’t fair” that they couldn’t do it. This is a READING CLASS. You are required, by school rules, to have a backpack book! 

I’m so annoyed. Then I get parents e-mailing me like crazy because their kid has an F and they want them to make up 8 assignments they’ve missed and that’s SO much work for me to grade at one time.

TLDR; My kids won’t turn stuff in and I’m tired of it.