(Rant warning! If allergic to major ranting, click away now while you still can.)
My partner and I got called down to speak with a tie guy today, regarding our classes grades. We have a high number of failing or near failing students. The question we got was "Why?" followed by "Are you trying everything you can to make them successful?"
Friends, I have to admit I was cranked up. After giving us an inordinate number of 'heavily challenged' students this year, they dare ask questions like that.....
Well sparky, lets just run down this here list of failing students, shall we? I just happen to have it here in my pocket.... right where I have fresh grades every single day.... you know.... the ones I use when trying to motivate students.....
How about failing contestant #1..... no, he's been away in a special place all marking period.... Lets move on to failing contestant #2..... but no, he's been absent half the marking period so far. Now how about this kid? Oh... No......
Lets just face it here thumper... how about you stamp passed on each kid and we'll call it good! That's not what you meant?? Sure sounds like it. I have another idea... how about we just give them the tests in advance, along with all the answers? What do you mean that's too extreme? I got news for you sparky... we just ran that test today after giving them a copy last week... and ten students failed it. Care to guess which ten? You got it... the ten students who you want 'something more' done for.
That's when I tossed the nuke on the table, with it's pin pulled.
"You know I want to be a team player, so tell you what I'll do. You give me written guidelines on grading these special students, and I'll follow them to the letter. I'm fine with varying from the grading requirements in the school handbook as long as you write down what you want us to do".
BANG.
That pretty much chased the squirrel out of the woodpile. Asking tie guy to take responsibility for alternative grading (in writing) always puts these matters to bed right quick.
Bleeping idjits.
Something I learned my first year..... you never get in trouble for passing a student. Never. You only get in trouble when little Bobby blows it and fails. Then you have a big target on your back, and better have your documentation squared away.
What really makes the situation so ferociously difficult is..... little Bobby knows it too.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment