Cry For Help

Joe wanted to be on the varsity basketball team more than anything. As a freshman and a sophomore he played junior varsity but he knew how good he was and yearned to play with the big boys. His happiest day was the day he made the team.

Joe became the number one forward on the team. He led the team to victory and everyone was sure he would lead the team to winning the city championship. Unfortunately, report cards came out and Joe failed four subjects and was dropped from the team. Every teacher said he was missing homeworks, was excessively late and that he had poor work habits. Even his basketball teacher said his work habits were poor. Yet, Joe was taking a full load of classes, classes that only a bright kid would take.

I was the teacher responsible for handing Joehis repot card. When I saw it I felt ill. I knew he was not doing well in my class and had many discussions about this with his mother, grandndmother and guidance counselor. I had no idea he was doing so poorly in all his classes. I photo copied the report card and walked into the counselor's office. I wanted to make sure he was aware and would try to help. "Ms. POd", he said, "Joe is just lazy. Besides, he is overwhelmed with work since basketball started. He is glad he is off the team and will have more time to study." I just said "I have never met a kid who wanted to flunk off the basketball team. There must be something else going on. He is too good a kid and too smart a kid to get grades like this." The guidance counselor promised to look into it and to bring his mom to school for a conference. I am still waiting for the conference to happen.

By the third marking period Joe passed enough subjects to get back on the team. He's in my class again and up to his old tricks--no homework, lateness, etc. I told him if he's not careful, he will be off the team again. He told me not to worry. Report cards come out after the season is over.

Joe is a member of the ethnic group Principal Suit is so eager to help. I gave Suit Joe's name earlier this week and asked him to do something for him. Joe is too bright to be failing. Why is it that no one in the school will do anything to help a kid like Joe? Maybe its just me. Maybe those grades aren't a cry for help, they are just the grades of a kid too lazy to do any school work.

Community College

Tonight is my last college class until next semester. As much as I love this class am glad that it is over. I'm tired. The thought of being able to stay home in the evenings for the next 6 weeks is wonderful. Of course I have to get the final exams marked and grades done but that won't be too bad. The class only has 20 students.

My favorite thing about the college is the respect given to teachers (even adjuncts) by other teacher, secretaries, administrators and students. Our work is appreciated. We are helped. We are never looked down upon. We are treated like professionals and it is universally accepted that we know what we are doing. Every observation is filled with praise. No one feels the need to put us down to make themselves sound better. The evening supervisor just walked by and saw me on the computer while my class is taking the final. He didn't reprimand me or even comment. He knows that the class is being watched while I blog away. This would never be acceptable on the high school level.

One of the things I really dislike about the community college is the lack of continuity with the students. I teach a course for people that don't like math. It is a class for liberal arts majors and it is usually full of people ready to graduate, as most leave math for their last term. Once in a while a student returns for a recommendation or we run into one another in the supermarket. This is rare. I do have the son of a former student at the high school I teach in so I know how well she is doing.

One of the things that bothers me about the class I have this semester is the number of problems my students have. My class of twenty has three students with sick mothers (one car accident, one nursing home and one with some serious illness that I don't know much about.) I also have two students who have had surgery-one had to drop out and one returned after 2 weeks. A third student told me that she is going in for surgery in January. She forced herself to wait until the semester was over so she could finish up and graduate. A nineteen year old boy told me that he came home from work and found his apartment cleaned out. He suspects his girl friend. Why is a nineteen year old not living at home with mom and dad? (I did not ask.) It seems to me that 35% of a class should not be having such problems. The funny thing is that I believe all these problems are real. No one asked for any time extensions or made excuses. They just opened up and told me situations at home. I will never know how any of these things turn out for people that I have come to care about.

Next semester I am teaching a pre-calculus course. Hopefully the students will have stronger background and actually appreciate some of the beauty math has to offer. I look forward to this new class and to teaching a subject I have not taught for years.