Success and Failures

Last Friday, I got a ride home from school with the veteran calculus / pre-calculus / trigonometry teacher from my school. Her classroom is always immaculate-looking, but people say she has no classroom management. She seems competent in the subject; one time she told me she had taken every math and science course offered at Delta State. A middle-aged white Mississippian, she is the longest-tenured math teacher at my school. Because our district buses students between the two high schools for certain classes, her AP Calculus class is a pocket of whiteness in our otherwise black high school. Due to our 4x4 block schedule, she has some of my former students this semester. On the drive home, she told me how my former students really knew how to solve quadratic equations, factor, etc. She said she was reviewing to see what they knew, and they were answering questions left and right, telling her “Mr. A taught us that!” Of course, the students she has are the ones who did reasonably well in my class, but still it feels like a success story. Because I do not teach state-tested subjects, I receive no objective outside evaluation on how I am doing, as a teacher. So the best compliment I can receive, I suppose, is when another teacher tells me how well-prepared my students are for the next level.

The bad news is that I have a ridiculous number of students failing. Probably around 2/3 are failing. Most are just not trying at all. They tune out. My third-block Algebra II class was in revolt a during state test week; the entire class refused to answer questions or participate at all, so I had to call Mr. Bic to come and have a word to them. They want to have free time and say my class is too hard. Well, I plan to forgive a few assignments, as I have done in the past, which will help those who are on the threshold between passing or failing, but I plan to stick to my guns on those who have truly earned their F’s. (I’ve already signed my contract for next year. What are they going to do, fire me?) Almost all the students who are failing have many assignments missing. A few of them will pay attention and do something well every once in a while, but their efforts are so inconsistent that they fail the tests. It is so frustrating when you teach your heart out, and every day when you ask a question or give them a problem to look at, the majority of your students will take one look at it and say, “I don’t know how to do this!” But they never study. The ones who are failing are the ones who do not take notes.

So my principal is on my case. He says I need to contact parents. Which is true, I suppose. I have not contacted parents much at all this year. Afterward my little conference with the principal, I ended up talking with the art teacher. You would think art is an easy subject to pass, right? Well apparently she has a lot of students fail, too. So I was talking with this teacher, and she told me she has even had the superintendent on her case, telling her she needs to call parents. But she said exactly what I was feeling: These children are adults—or very nearly so. To the parents, “I have 100 students, you have one. Can you call me?” And if the parents really cared, why do they wait until the end, when the report cards and progress reports have been issued on designated days, noted on the school calendar, every four and half weeks?

Then I had a conversation with my roommate about this. Apparently he has done a lot of home visits. He talked about breaking down the barrier between home and school, and he described the priceless look on a students, faces when he showed up on their doorsteps. He claims it has made a difference. It puts me to shame.