Wednesday, March 18, 2015

The Head Count


AP classes. No seating chart. I really, really hate calling out the roll.

But AP classes. Surely they were all present.

Period 1. 24 on the roll. A quick head count and... 21 students in class. Noooo!

Period 2 was missing 1. Period 3, 2. Period 4, 1.

But AP classes. So, surely a simple "who's absent?" would yield results. (It's worked for me in the past.) No?

Oh, come on, guys! All I have to do is say, "Who's absent?" and somebody rattles off a couple names.

Not this day. I had to read all 34 names to find the one absent in period 2. (And I have to do the whole list or the students at the end of the alphabet start hounding me--"But you didn't call my name. I'm here." Yes, I know.)

Yes, it's cheating. I'm supposed to call roll. I must take accurate attendance. But you should see some of these names. (I'd share them with you, but they're minors, and I never name them here. Any names I use on the blog are changed from their actual names.) If the vowel sound can go two ways, I invariably pick the wrong one. And when I encounter that kid again, I usually use the incorrect version, even when the kid's informed me of how his/her name is pronounced.

So, I avoid calling out the roll whenever possible. Seating charts are wonderful.

I was so grateful that 5th period had all 29 students present.

14 comments:

  1. Parents get so ridiculously creative with names now, I can only imagine. Nobody wants to name their children a name that any other child has so they come up with some doozies!

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    1. It should be "creative" names. Because some of these "creations"...

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  2. I remember hating it when the sub had to call roll, but we all loved correcting the sub when he/she mispronounced a name. ;)

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  3. Just because they're AP students doesn't mean they're not kids. They're going to make the substitute work hard to earn her pay :).

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  4. We are having more and more creative names in classrooms in Japan, too.

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  5. I always mispronounce names as well, and then I feel bad...

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  6. I can imagine the names on the rolls! What a diversity I'm sure and not many common names I bet! Kind of like with the patients names I type. All over the board. I'm glad I don't have to pronounce them :)

    Maybe you could enlist a student to take the roll? (but I'm sure that could be against the rules)

    betty

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    1. Some teachers do have "helpers", and that can work from time to time. Especially when I've got a strange list. I tend to want to do it, though. Just to make sure it's accurate.

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  7. I don't envy you trying to figure out how to pronounce all those names. There are so many ways things can be pronounced.

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    1. Oh, yes. When I see "ta" I think "tah", but most of the time it's actually "tay". So, then I say "tay"...

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  8. Have the students call out their own names rather than the standard, "here." Start from the person closest, working your way to the back or however the seats are rowed.

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  9. I would also make them spell their first and last names, if they're going to be difficult.

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