listening to the same song

6 weeks grade check means ruining students' eligibility for all those super important high school activities such as band or athletics or UIL nerd competitions. you know, all those things they're REALLY in school for, because they certainly aren't there to get an education. thursday afternoon i had several teary-eyed 10th graders invading my room looking for any way to raise their grades. any way that didn't involve actual work, that is.

"please miss mahan, what can i do to pass? what can i do that doesn't involve coming in after school or doing any extra work?"

now i know that in the touchy feely age of education, i'm supposed to take them all in my arms and tell them that i will fix everything for them. but here was my response:

"you can do your work when it's assigned. you can pay attention and ask questions in class. you can come in for extra help before or after school. you can stop writing notes and/or visiting with buddies. you can make up failing grades when i offer the opportunity. you can write papers for extra credit. finally, you can come to me earlier than the day before grades are due to discuss problems. i have no sympathy for those of you who have wasted the time i've given you, not turned in assignments and generally blown off my class."

this week was my first breaking point. i was tired of feeling guilty for students' lack of intrinsic motivation. sick of butting my head against walls by trying to undo what society has done to them. saddened by the attitude given me by students caught cheating. frustrated with kids who want to be given everything after doing nothing. i no longer wanted to be the nice guy.

but then, 5 kids restored my faith in the learning process. they spent an hour and a half in my room after school working on their rough drafts. we worked step by step, forming coherent arguments in essay format. when they left my room they were all smiling and laughing, confident in their ability to complete the assignment. there's nothing in the world like that lightbulb moment when you can see that your kids get it. they REALLY get it.

i had some big failures this week, some things that seriously made me question my ability as a teacher. but then there were the good moments - when a few of my kids totally understood plato's "allegory of the cave"; conversations with kids who had reached their breaking points and who appreciated hearing that someone cares; watching one of my hardest working but lowest achieving kids write an awesome thesis statement.

i'm sorry that this thing has become completely consumed by my job. honestly, there isn't much else going on in my life. i'm awesome like that.

final thoughts: the rita catastrophe was funny to watch. i'm not talking about the weather, but the media's desperate attempt to cover its ass when the storm dissipated. oh network news, you only made yourselves look sillier.

this week better than ezra helped me rediscover my singing voice in the car. for some reason, i'd stopped singing during my commute. not quite sure why it happened, but it was nice to belt out those lyrics again.

planning trips to far away and exotic places. updates to come. hope all is well in your lives my loves.