Friday, October 3, 2014
Sometimes Teaching Sucks!
My school day begins at 7:15 am. That is the time we are required to be in the building preparing for the school day. Most days I get her around 6:30 am. This morning I come into work set up my laptop and start grading papers. In class we are working on scientific measurement (metric conversion, scientific notation and reading a graduated cylinder.) In our curriculum guide this lesson is suppose to span one period (90 minutes). It is essentially a review lesson from concepts learned in previous science classes. Clearly my students' previous teachers did not get the memo because these kids have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what I am talking about. Today will be the third class period 4.5 hours of teaching scientific measurement. They have had notes, classwork, homework and more notes. Before I posted this I was grading another assignment and the average score was 25/100. What more can I do? I am already behind in the curriculum and have already attempted to reteach. Do you ever stop reteaching? Do you just say the kids just aren't going to get this concept? Who is the person who EVER told students to not ask questions or raise their hands when they don't understand. I want to find that person and kick him in the chins. The bell has just rung. Time to teach one more class of scientific measurement. Have a great day all!
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Tauheedah, I love your writing style! You are spot on! I teach sixth grade and when I began a lesson on assonance and consonance (the repetition of vowel or consonant sounds) I received blank stares. Did these middle schoolers not know what a consonant or vowel was? Was I talking Greek? So I back tracked and asked for a definition of the two terms. Eager hands a'flying! Student answer: "Consonant. Like Africa." Ummmmm.... seriously? Anyhow, yah... I wonder how the knowledge we share falls out of the heads of babes so quickly. It's frustrating.
ReplyDeleteCheers! It's the weekend and we're supposed to have a typhoon over here on Monday! Woot- woot!
Andrea
AMEN SISTER!!!!!! Just to make you feel better we sent over a week reviewing metric measurement. The first thing that shocked me were the kids who when given a metric ruler looked at it like it was a foreign object and told me they didn't know how to use it. Seriously!! Do you know how to use a regular ruler and do you know how to count then you are good to go. After doing the measurement lab and talking in class and reminding and swearing on their most treasured possessions that they will not use the English system in science class we still had kids that used inches in the next lab. Then had the nerve to look shocked when we told them it was wrong. I am so with you on this one and I agree with Andrea too as I work with 2 language arts teachers and I am just amazed at the things the kids don't know in middle school. Hang in there -- some day they will get it!! I hope!!
ReplyDeleteI too suffer from the 7:15am report time. I love getting out early at 2:45 but 7:30am would suit me so much better....
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