Some students...
11th grade English. They had a couple articles to read and questions to answer. Standard fare.
Then, because, well, just because, Mr. C also had an extra credit assignment for them. they had a choice to do this after finishing the day's work.
I gave the instructions, or tried to. A couple of the kiddos weren't giving me as much attention as I'd like. As in, complete. (I only had a few things to say. Complete attention for two minutes is not too much to ask.)
So, unsurprisingly, a little misunderstanding cropped up. I noticed a knot of boys, the same ones who were distracted while I explained things, not doing any of the work.
"But it's extra credit..."
Um no. No, it wasn't. And if they had been listening earlier...
"I'm failing this class, anyway."
Of course. Because when you're failing the course, you're going to ignore extra credit opportunities.
I've had these sorts of discussions before. So, I asked the spokes-boy if I'd be seeing him soon at the continuation high school. (Might as well get to know the players now, so I'll know them when I see them over there.)
Oh no. They weren't that bad. Summer school would make it all up for them. Which they were looking forward to.
Yeah, they were looking forward to summer school. Told me it would be lit.
Did you ever attend summer school? Is junior year too early for senioritis? We're almost done--are you ready for A to Z to be over?
Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...
Who in their right mind wants to go to summer school???
ReplyDeleteI went to summer school years ago when it was to get extra credit to graduate early or in younger grades fun classes, arts and crafts, that type of thing. I would never want to go to summer school to make up something that I should have done during the school year and I'm not sure how it is in California, but in Montana if you had to go to summer school to make up credits, you had to pay for it.
ReplyDeletebetty
No, they don't have to pay for it. But since the budget crunch a few years ago, only makeups happen in summer school, and the space is limited.
DeleteI don't believe they have summer school in our dist.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
It got eliminated in some places due to budget problems.
DeleteNever attended summer school. I LOVED extra credit. In fact, the ONLY reason I got an 'A' in Calculus was that the teacher gave us open book exams AND extra credit.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've pretty much forgotten all that stuff now. Derivative, Integral, funny symbols...that pretty much covers it.
This MAY be part of the reason I clean toilets five days a week.
No, I never attended summer school. I have threatened a few kids with it a few times. Sometimes it gets their attention. And sometimes not! Yahoos!! Good name for them!
ReplyDeleteI just about fell over laughing when I had the thought, "What a bunch of yahoos," while watching them do nothing in class. Laughing, because I was looking to make the post fit Y day, and it fit so well.
DeleteNo, never attended summer school. "Continuation School" was a great reply. Reality will hit them soon.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, they didn't take that threat seriously. This is how one gets there, though.
DeleteWhat is going on during summer school that they're actually excited about it? I'm sure glad that I never had to go.
ReplyDeleteI never attended summer school. In high school, anyway. I did take a few summer classes later in my college years because I hadn't taken my early college years very seriously.
ReplyDeleteBut I certainly wouldn't have looked forward to summer school in high school. I had friends I wanted to hang out with.
I never went to summer school. That would've been such a drag! One more letter...
ReplyDeleteI never went to summer school in high school. In college, I did, hoping to graduate early. Didn't turn out that way, but I actually enjoyed the accelerated pace of the summer classes. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteFaster classes can be a good thing. Depends, I'd guess.
DeleteI went to summer school for sewing. Back then you could take fun courses like that. I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI went to the university the summer of my junior year for advance credit and to get a taste of what life as a college student would feel like. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh my... I only did Summer classes in college to speed up the process. Never had to do it in high school. That kid is nuts lol!!
ReplyDeleteYes, he is. Agreed.
Deleteno summer school
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not the only one.
DeleteI never wanted to do summer school....that's just nuts.
ReplyDeleteYes. Yes he is. I'm sure he's lying to me. He has to be.
DeleteI attended summer school when it was optional but not because I was doing poorly in school. My (single) mom needed free babysitting so off to summer school my brother and I went. I liked it.
ReplyDeleteShelly @ http://hangryfork.com
It was great when you could get ahead.
DeleteI'm speaking to a group of seniors next week -- I'm sure senioritis will be rampant.
ReplyDeleteYvonne V
Oh yea. But the question will be--are they respectful or crazy senioritis? It could go either way.
DeleteGoofy, silly boys! No, I never attended summer school or go held back or any other thing like that. I liked doing my work and getting good grades for the most part. We were often set in class in the order of our last grade! Competition was encouraged back then. I did have one year, third or fourth grade where I slipped way behind on assigned reading. My mother got me caught up quickly by telling me I couldn't go to Terri Dean's hobo party if I wasn't up to date with it! I never fell behind again.
ReplyDeleteRevisit the Tender Years with me at
Life & Faith in Caneyhead
I took drivers ed during summer, and that was enough time at the school for me.
ReplyDeleteMary
#AtoZChallenge Y is for Yelich-O'Connor
That was a popular class to get out of the way when I was in school.
DeleteI loved my summers to be free of school, so no summer school for me. I think my high school class was showing beginning signs of senioritis our junior year. Well, I guess most kids of all ages start getting antsy in that long stretch between spring break and end of the school year.
ReplyDeleteThe other day, someone told a classroom full of juniors that they'd be seniors in about 8 weeks. Blew their minds.
DeleteOh yes, I attended summer school back in the day. They were mainly academic-based, so I didn't do the fun summer camps (cooking, art, dance) that I always felt I missed out on.
ReplyDeleteI never did summer camp, either. I think we got enough of that via books, though. Don't you think? (Those characters always went to the fun summer camps.)
DeleteI'm ready for A to Z to be over so I can focus on the move--I've been doing the latter rather distractedly. But, I'll miss the daily dose of reading and writing and hopping to find new blogs and the buzz of reading comments on my blog. Yes, I'll miss that.
ReplyDeleteBlogging can still be daily the rest of the year. I tend to blog daily. Just fewer blogs to comment on (hopefully).
DeleteWe never had summer school in my day. I don't think there are many of them in Britain now - if any - although I know some kids' parents pay for extra tuition in the holidays. I've just finished my A to Zs - looking forward to your last one.
ReplyDeleteThat's Purrfect
We don't have summer school here in the UK, I'm not really sure what happens if you're failing. I think it's just a case of leaving school unqualified!
ReplyDeleteWe did it! I've loved reading your posts and I would love to stay in touch after the challenge :)
Debbie
I'll be around. And that's what feed readers are for! It makes it easy to keep up with everyone.
DeleteI'm a teacher, too, and I get so frustrated by self-defeating attitudes like that! The worst is when they've been unsuccessful so long that they have decided not to try so that they can't fail. I'm glad you're making the attempt to help them see it differently. If they hear it from enough places, maybe it will sink in. You can't dig yourself out a hole without picking up a shovel.
ReplyDelete@mirymom1 from
Balancing Act
I keep hoping that one of these days they'll wake up and figure out that they can graduate. They don't have to fail. Some do get it eventually.
DeleteNo summer school. But I did have band practice. Not the same though.
ReplyDeleteMaybe i'm getting old...well no maybe about it...but it seems like classrooms and students have changed drastically. and not for the better. If I was a teacher in today's changing world, I'd spend most of my time thinking WTH and other various things.
No summer school here. Used to be that if you didn't pass the year, you had to repeat it, but now with all that PC crap, and streaming, kids are just shoveled into the next grade without the basics and left to flounder again.
ReplyDeleteWe've done social promotion for so long I don't know if we could ever go back. However, if they don't have the credits done by the end of senior year, they don't graduate.
DeleteI never had to go to summer school. They could just be getting antsy to be done with school, depends on when their last day is (I know a lot of schools here in the US get done in May). But yea, junior year is too early to be getting senioritis. When I was a junior, our teachers/guidance counselor were always on us to do good if we wanted to get into college. There were a couple teachers who didn't particularly like teaching seniors because of senioritis mostly in the second half of the year. ~Meg Writer‘s Crossings
ReplyDeleteMay... *snort* Yeah, you lucky people who get out in May... Of course, we're laughing that you have to go back in August.
DeleteWe get out mid June. Go back late August or early September (right around September 1st). They are antsy to be done, but we've still got a month and a half to go.
We don't have summer school here but I think it would be a nightmare. Mind you a lot of kids need that extra tuition. I can't imagine why they'd be looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteI have no idea...
DeleteLiz, good topic choice for the alphabet prompt. I did attend summer school when I was in junior high. Well, I don't know if it was actually summer school because I was failing a subject, but mainly one I needed additional help in which was reading. I was a horribly slow, nervous reader. Low self-confidence was the real kick in the head for me. I felt dumb, less than adequate compared to other readers. Teachers in those days weren't always the easiest to work with, especially for someone like myself who was sure all teachers thought I was an idiot. In retrospect, after reviewing my report cards, my grades were actually good. I had more As & Bs than I recall getting with only a few Cs and never anything lower than that. Why I graduated with a 3.75 average! Just think for years I thought I only squeaked by, too. 3.75 isn't bad for a big dumbie! lol
ReplyDelete