Lost Buyout Slip

It was another Thursday at the continuation high school. Buyout day.

(That's the day that, if they get all their teachers' permission, they can skip school on Friday.)

I had a simple request for the students. I would sign their buyouts if they did some work. I wasn't even asking for them to finish the assignment. I just wanted to see progress.

Many of them watched videos or played games all period. So, while it was a low bar, it was one that many students didn't pass.

Fifth period. They spent all week working up to an essay on refugees. (They read articles on Monday, answered questions on Tuesday, and spent Wednesday creating a tree map with all the details they'd need. This school especially scaffolds things like writing assignments so the kiddos could write well academically if only they'd put in the effort.)

I did my usual of walking around and trying to convince students to do something. Anything.

I did find some students working. A few had questions. But the majority of the class wasn't doing much productive.

At the end of the period, I took my stack of buyout slips (I had maybe five) and went up to each student. What had they done?

Those that had given me buyouts had done something. They showed me. I signed.

Then I went to Julio. What had he done?

I knew he hadn't done much. I had spent several trips to his desk pushing him to do something.

He was surprised I had his buyout. He had been looking for it; he thought he'd lost it. So, because he lost it, he hadn't done any work. But since I had it, couldn't I sign it?

Yeah... no. Nope. Uh uh. I had said work = signed buyout.

Sigh. They need that carrot, apparently. If only he had remembered that he had given his buyout to me, I might have seen some work. Ah well.

Too Much Effort

Thursday at the continuation high school means it's buyout day. A student can get Friday off if:

1. The student has had no absences or tardies all week.
2. The student has permission from their parents.
3. The student has permission from all their teachers. 

Ideally, teachers only give permission to buyout if the student is caught up with all their assignments for the week. (This is not always the case, depending on the teacher. Some teachers will sign buyouts for everyone.) 

I was covering English for Ms. S. She had some... things... to do. (She told me. Multiple times. Something about meeting with students and checking graduation progress. But I had a hard time keeping it in my head. I'll blame the migraine I was getting over.) 

Anyway, the upshot was that she was on campus all day. And she was signing their buyouts.

There was only one hitch. They had to have completed the work for the week. 

Now, this was not an unreasonable request. And their work wasn't all that much, really. She'd been teaching them various writing things, and this week was all about writing an article summary. 

She gave them an article. She gave them a template with sentence frames. They read the article together. She modeled how to find details from the article to use in the summary. If they put those in the sentence frames, they had a very easy article summary completed. 

On Thursday they were to find their own article and repeat the process. 

I explained to the classes that to buy out, they had to have completed both article summaries. 

Sixth period walked in. Only one boy had a buyout to be signed. I explained the lesson. 

After making sure the students had all the papers they needed, I found myself next to that boy. He had barely anything completed on the first summary. But, getting both done in a period was doable. I pointed out that he needed to do the work to get his buyout signed. 

The boy ripped up his buyout. 

He wasn't going to even try? 

I mean, by sixth period, he had had five other teachers approve him skipping school Friday. He couldn't be bothered to at least make an attempt at doing the week's work? 

Nope. He ripped up his buyout and did nothing that period.

Deep sigh. If they won't at least make the effort. 

(Several students did get their buyouts signed. Because, it wasn't unreasonable, the work she was asking them to do.)

Small Group

Fridays at the continuation high school are a bit different. Looser. Students who attended Monday through Thursday can "buyout", so classes are smaller. And the students are less willing to do anything productive.

I expect smaller groups, but still I was surprised when only one student showed up for third period (out of 15). Um...

The lesson plan was one I had done before. Since class discussion was required, I figured it wouldn't work with one student. So, I gave him permission to find somewhere else to be. Until a second student arrived (late).

I could do the lesson with two students...

They were not happy with me. But I insisted. And things went better than I expected.

Turns out, it's easier to put students on the spot and make them talk when there's only two of them. At least sometimes.

Ace in my Pocket

There's something about seeing a sub that makes some students turn off. Especially at the continuation high school.

Mr. H is not a popular teacher. He's strict. He requires his classes to work silently. And they resent him for it. So, when I show up, the class relaxes (read: I can't get them to do anything).

Actual student quote: "A sub? Good. I'm not going to do any work today."

But as luck would have it, it was Thursday. At the continuation high school.

BUYOUTS!!!

I explained that if they wanted me to sign their buyouts, they had to do the work. And finish. (I've had students do one or two questions and think that's enough.)

But of course some students can't buy out. The student who said the above? Didn't do any work. Also, he didn't have a buyout.

Every student who had a buyout, however, did do the work. So, it was a win for me. Sort of.

Small Class

I believe I've mentioned the buyout thing at the continuation high school, but just in case you missed it...

On Fridays, students can get permission to skip school if

1. It was a full week (no Monday holiday)
2. They were in school and on time all week
3. Their teachers all give permission

This is what's so great about subbing on Thursday there. I get to sign the slips giving permission, and my condition is always for them to do their work. I state this up front, and I find that this is incentive enough to get them to do what they're supposed to do.  

On Thursday, every single student in first period (all six of them) gave me a buyout to sign. They all did their work. (The room was silent.) I signed every buyout. And I knew I was returning Friday (the teacher was out Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday).  

Would I have anyone in first period?  

Turns out, I had one student. I asked the burning question. 

Another of his teachers wouldn't sign his buyout. Bummer.  

But I was glad he was there. I would have felt funny getting the period off. It feels wrong somehow to have no students in a class that I'm supposed to teach.