Too Bad He Can't Always Do What Is Best, But, I Can Try

I recently found out that the community colleges are raising requirements for incoming students. I shared the information with Mr. AP, hoping he would understand the importance of stressing algebra, rather than geometry with these kids and the importance of trying to move them ahead instead of trapping them in a cycle of endless repetition of the same course. Last year, he was pissed at me for passing kids that failed the geometry regents, even thought they were passing the class (I did this with principal approval) and repeating the subject would have done nothing for them. Grades are due this week and once again, I am dropping almost no one from my class. My Ouija Board is out of commission so I can't accurately predict my June results.

This is from his latest e-mail on the subject:

The state requirement sometimes has nothing to do with what is best for a student. Unfortunately or fortunately, we both work in a NYS high school. I wish I could do what is best for the students all the time.

Furthermore, the Geometry and Trigonometry Regents exam should be the basic requirement or exit exam for passing the course. You don't have to agree, but that is what it should be. We can't lower the standards anymore.

Have a nice week.

I don't believe I am lowering standards by passing kids who don't pass that ridiculous exam, especially when they only fail by a few points. The raw scores are so low anyway that what possible difference could it make if we even lower it? As for doing what is best for the student, I try to do that every day. I work in a NYS high school and that is my job.

Alex--I know you will have some nasty response to this, calling me an old teacher who is being reduced to nothing, to allowing myself to be humiliated but, I don't see it like that. You see Alex, no one is humiliating me. I'm not allowing Mr. AP, the principal, Bloomberg or Klein or anyone else to do that. I'm standing up and fighting for my students, fighting for what is right. I'm doing something that you have no clue about. Walking away would be humiliating. Walking away and letting them win would allow their abuses to win.

Alex, because of your negativity and because of your mentioning my real school in your comments, no comments will be printed here without my approval. And, Alex, don't bother writing as your comments will never appear again.

I Finally See The Light

It's official. I am the worst teacher in the department. I just received this e-mail from Mr. AP and he confirmed it. Our regents results were on it and he made sure to let me know where my classes came in.

Dear POd,

How are you? How is your summer so far? I finally figured out the stats and I would like to share it with you.

The last five teachers on the list had MG22R and MG22D class, mostly. [even one regular or honor class would have improved stats. All mine were R classes.] We know the kind of students you all had. I would like to thank you for working with each and everyone of them.

In September, we will work on how to get more of them to pass the Regents exam and more of them to pass with a grade of 85 or higher. We have to begin by making sure that one can hear a pin drop when you teach.

Regards to your family and enjoy the rest of the summer.

Code Rank Teacher Passing % % >= 85 Rank

MG33H 1 100.0 94.8 1.0
2 100.0 80.0 2.0

MG22C 96.7 34.4 1.0

MG22 92.9 33.3 2.0

MG22D 84.8 2.2 4.0

MG22R 76.0 6.0 3.0

1 100.0 57.1 1
2 98.3 48.7 2
3 96.7 34.4 3
4 91.4 25.0 6
5 90.8 31.6 5
6 88.2 32.4 4
7 85.7 20.0 9
8 80.1 24.1 7
9 79.6 23.9 8
10 69.3 8.0 10
11 60.6 1.5 11
12 60.0 0.0 12

Overall P % 82.4 31.3

Well, if Obama gets his way, I lose my tenure.

Too bad these result don't show seven or eight kids that were removed from other classes and put in mine because of conflicts with their teachers. Too bad they don't show the kids that should never have shown up to take the test, but did anyways. Too bad they don't show the kids that should have been dropped but were kept in the hopes of getting them through and the success many of them had.

So now that I officially suck as a teacher, it is understandable why I would be so against merit pay. So be it. I'll be gone before it is instituted in New York.

Reflections

I have been beating myself up over the geometry regents results. Although some might say my results were good (68% passing) they weren't good enough for me. I'm used to 95 -100% passing. I know, it's summer vacation and I should just let it go, but it bothers me. I even spent quite a bit of time looking at the transcripts of the students that failed.

And then, I realized something. First, most of the kids in my class never legitimately passed algebra. Most were given credit because they passed the algebra regents, some by attending summer school and some by seat credit. Then I realized that all but two of my student took the exam. I was actually able to keep 62 out of 64 on target until the end. Lastly I realized that while other teachers dropped kids from their classes, I held on to most of mine and gave them the benefit of the doubt, hoping they would make it. Many of them did. If I dropped the ones that were failing, my results would have been better but too many would have lost a chance to get that advanced diploma. If I look at statistics this way, I am a success.

So now comes the big decision--what to do next time I have a regents class? Keep or drop? Maybe I will get lucky and not have a regents class to teach. I hate making decisions.

The Waiting Game

They are entering the building for another exam when they spot me. They rush over, not to say hello but to find out how they did on the geometry regents. They are concerned. They feel confident. They all walked out of last year's algebra exam feeling lost, yet they all passed and passed with decent grades. This year they were able to answer so much more. There is no way could be failing.

I wish I could have given them a positive response. While I know the raw scores, and there are guesses as to what will be passing, I cannot give most of them any reassurances at the moment. Quite a few scored in the high 50's and low 60's. They will pass, although I don't know with what grade. The 40's are more difficult to call. And, I don't want to say anything to the 30's until I know for sure. I did give bad news to one of my 20's, but I broke it to her easy, told her she passed the course and she promised to let me help her retake the exam in January.

This waiting is silly and makes no sense. Merryl Tisch, the new Chancellor of the Board of Regents wants higher standards. She talking about raising the passing grade from 65 to 75 to make the grades more meaningful. What she should be talking about is making the exams more valid. Here we gave an exam, graded the exam but will only determine its success or failure after the state scrutinizes the papers and determines exactly the grade that makes this new project a success.

All year, the kids take exams worth 100 points and know that if they get a 65 or better, they passed. The biggest exam of the year has a totally different scoring system. These poor kids will not know their regents results until Friday, the last day of school. It's not right.

Is This Really Tutoring?

The school is really trying to provide regents tutoring but, when 70+ kids show up for extra help, I wonder how much extra help they can really be given. That is the number of kids I've heard that are showing up for our Saturday tutorials. One teacher and over 70 kids just does not amount to a tutoring program. It does provide extra lessons, but that is all.

Many, many years ago, I opened my big mouth and got a homework helper program started. But, because of my big mouth, I also got stuck working it. We had a few hundred kids showing up twice a week. We filled the cafeteria. But, I recruited tutors and it worked! The kids got individual help and many succeeded. One of the plus parts of the program was that kids who came for math help ended up staying on and tutoring English or history or even stayed on and tutored the math they had just learned to do. It was exhausting but it was rewarding.

The geometry regents in June 16. The large group setting is not working for most of my students. I promised to meet with them the Saturday before the regents. True, I have 68 kids on register, but I know they won't all show up. But, at least it is me with my own kids, no one else. We'll meet at 10 and stay until we run out of steam. (I am giving up a weekend trip to Florida for this.) They'll pass this exam or not, but it won't be from lack of effort.

I'm So Confused

I know, anyone reading this is saying "NOT AGAIN!" I can't help it. I'm compulsive. I want to do what is best for my geometry kids and I don't know what the right thing to do is.

Originally we were told that the kids were staying in geometry the entire year, no matter how poorly they were doing. I took this to mean, I better convince them that they can pass. Of course, many can't but I've put on my cheer leading outfit, broken out my best cheers and I am pushing them on. I'm pushing them to at least get a 50 and I'm promising to change the grade to passing if they manage to pass next semester. You still can't hear a pin drop, but most are starting to work. Even some of the real airheads are starting to get it. I made sure I did and redid every problem on the first part of the midterm so many times that they would be able to do it on the exam. They saw that I wasn't feeding them a line of BS and that if they listened they can pass. Maybe, like the Obama supporters out there, they are starting to BELIEVE.

So, what is the problem with all of this? We were just told that the kids who are failing (below 50) can be placed in a different class next term where they will concentrate on the algebraic skills we tried to tell Suit last year they lacked. My dilemma is do I give them a grade under 50 and move them into an easier class or do I keep plugging away, pray the regents will be easy and have a low cut off score to pass, and just try to teach them enough math to pass the course as it is. (They do not need this regents to graduate.) I want to know if they will learn more with me in geometry or more in another classroom, repeating algebra. So many of the kids that are put back end up in a cycle of repeating class after class after class. The things that they don't know now have been taught to them a zillion times and they might never learn them.

I hate being in a position where I am playing G-d with their lives. This one little decision on my part can be a make or break decision for the rest of their lives. What gives me the right to decide who goes on and who does not? Maybe if I did things differently more would be passing. I wanted to be able to give them an easier course but now that I have that option I don't know if I should take it. I'm so confused! Is there any help for me? I need a vacation.

I Can't Do This

I give up. I thought I could do it, but I can't. I don't have a clue as to how to get most of the geometry across to the kids I am teaching.

I gave the same questions over and over. I drill. I made them flash cards. I hooked them up with individual tutors. I stopped dong proofs. I can't get them to understand.

I asked them to name parallel segments, they gave me angles.

I asked them to fill in _____ lines form right angles. They wrote parallel lines.

They don't bring calculators and subtract incorrectly.

They solve the equation 2x + 4 = 10 by writing 6x = 10.

I have never taught a class where anyone who was working failed the regents. In fact, every regents class I have taught in the last few years has had almost 100% passing. There will be many failures this time.

I should have retired last year. I should have quit while I was ahead.

I Have Hope

I saw a sample of what the new geometry regents will look like.

I have hope.

I think I can get most of them to pass.

It will take a lot of work and a lot of revision in what I teach, but I BELIEVE I can do it!

MY KIDS WILL PASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!