Can't Sit Still

For the last three days of the semester (the last three days before winter break) I caught a special ed assignment. Ms. D is a co-teacher, so I was expecting to be all over the place. What I got was a day in one classroom proctoring the final for two different seventh grade math classes. 

(Ms. D co-teaches seventh grade math with two different teachers. On test days she takes the special ed kiddos to another room. The special ed students test in a different room to help them focus.) 

Fifth period. 

I had seven students testing with me. They could have spread out in the room, but they sat in groups of two. The final was online, so once I verified that they had logged in, I sat back and watched. 

Calvin couldn't sit still. He changed position a couple times. He found a loose chair, pulled it up next to him, and then twisted so he was half in that chair and half in his desk. Then he started humming.

I warned Calvin that they were taking a final and he shouldn't be humming. He found he did not like the seat he was in and he wanted to move. I had a classroom of more than thirty desks, so I told him to pick another one. He did.

Then the humming started in earnest. "Last Christmas". I reminded him that not only was he testing, but the other students in the room were testing as well. 

Eventually, he finished his final. I was to keep the kiddos with me (rather than sending them back to their usual classroom which is usually what happens, but finals), so I allowed them to be on their phones. 

Calvin? Found "Last Christmas" and played it. Sigh.

I told Calvin that the room still needed to be quiet for the other students who weren't finished. He didn't get my point. And the shifting and squirming and such he was doing before became constant movement. 

It was a long, long period.

The next day when I talked to the general ed teacher, Ms. M, she asked how the final went. When I mentioned some difficulty, she had one reply. "Calvin?" Yup. She got it in one. 

I asked if he had ADHD. Because, seriously. Of course he did. 

I hope he matures out of some of these behaviors. Because special ed doesn't necessarily mean difficult kiddos. But seventh graders? Yeah, some of this is his age.

Not Attempted

As is my custom, during the break I did my "summer schedule". I saved the subbing stories from before the break to post them when school resumed, as it did this week. The week before the break was finals week...

Tuesday of finals week I caught a math class. The teacher had caught Covid. But, she hadn't planned on giving finals, so the students could either work on any missing assignments, or if they were completely caught up they could work on some extra credit assignments. 

I was very familiar with this classroom. It's the room I used when I taught that summer school class in June.

However, a few students had missed the chapter 4 test the prior week, and Ms. C left those tests so they could make them up. 

First thing at the start of the period, I passed out the tests to the few who needed them. (Ms. C left me a list.) And as the room was fairly quiet, they had great testing conditions to complete their makeup.

For the first class of the day, only one student was still working at the end of the period. Everyone else had turned theirs in way before that.

In case you're wondering how a teacher can grade tests taken on paper when she won't be back in the classroom, I have that answer for you. The kiddos were to take a picture of their tests. Then, they attached those images to the test assignment posted in their Google Classrooms. 

I found it curious, during the second class of the day, that only two students turned in their tests. I mean, only four were taking it, but two of them were still working at the end of the period? I wondered if I was going to have to figure out a way to give them extra time.

I went to the first student who still had a test. He handed me back a blank page. He didn't do it, he shrugged. 

I... uh... 

I found the other student who was to take it. The test wasn't visible on her desk. When I asked for it, she pulled it out from where she hid it. She didn't bother to attempt the test either. 

I mean... The test was open note. They knew this. I told them when I handed them the test. They couldn't pull out their notes and make a go of it? 

So, I wasn't terribly surprised when three students in the third class did (or rather didn't do) the same thing.

This has become a thing, by the way. There are students who just don't do anything. They don't attempt assignments. It's always happened, but of late it seems to happen more often. If they deem the assignment (or test) too hard, they just don't even attempt it. They don't start. 

In the end, I just listed their names and informed Ms. C that they had had the opportunity to take the test, but they didn't. They "earned" those zeroes. 

Unprepared

The week before winter break was also finals week. And due to a teacher taking advantage of the break to recover from surgery, I got to work it.

Eighth grade science. They had finals.

The finals were open book/open note. And most of the students had their papers all out and ready for use. Most of the students... 

"I need help."

Any other time, I'm all over that. But not for a test. Definitely not for a final.

She reached for her neighbor's notes...

"Where are your notes?" I asked.

"I forgot my backpack."

I shrugged. If she didn't come prepared...

"What does it matter? They're the same notes."

Perhaps. Or perhaps she didn't take notes and she was counting on using her neighbor's work to get through. It didn't matter. The teacher had been very specific. They could use any of their own materials, but they could not use someone else's.

She was not pleased. But I've seen when they want to "share" notes on a test. It might as well not be a test. It might as well be partner/group work.

It was a good lesson for her. In the future, perhaps she'll remember to bring her own materials (and notes!) for her finals.

Teacher's Favorite Number

My tenth grade geometry teacher's favorite number was 17. How do I know this? I think he told us on the first day of school. He had 17s posted everywhere. Students swiped 17s from Carl's Jr, and those were strewn about. Any time 17 came up, he make special reference to it.

It was Friday, and I was covering various levels of science. Fifth period was survey of biology. They had a test.

A student called me over. The question was, "What is Ms. V's favorite number?"

Why would a teacher put that on a test? Probably because she wanted there to be an even number of questions (for ease in grading percentages), but there weren't an even number of necessary questions for the test.

The student didn't know how to answer.

Um... I've never met the teacher. I figured if she put the question on the test, she probably has made mention of her favorite number on more than one occasion. So, the student should know it.

I told him to make his best guess. (It was multiple choice.)

As I was collecting tests, I noticed that test number 12 had a heart next to the number. And that's when it hit me.

I flipped through the test. The question as to what the teacher's favorite number was? Number 12.

So, I've never met the teacher, and I figured out the answer.

After everyone had finished the test, I asked them. What did you all get for favorite number? They didn't know. Well, some of them didn't know. When I pointed out that the question was number 12, several of them gasped in recognition.

Apparently, she had mentioned her favorite number. And on more than one occasion. I heard various examples. That they remembered after the test.

Considering their behavior during the test (not good), I'm not surprised they missed that. They don't seem to be very observant. Sigh.

Bad at Math

I was in Ms. J's math class again. This time they had a test.

8th graders. This is the first class in the high school math sequence. It's the class that most 9th graders take.

I did my usual test day intro, and during those remarks I mentioned that the test was open note. This turned out to be a surprise.

Oops? Was there a typo in the lesson plans? The other classes that day knew their test was open note. It was possible that the teacher could have made an error while copying and pasting for this group's test.

But I was going to go with what was written. I was sticking to the open note instruction.

(Then they asked if they could talk. Deep sigh. I gave my standard response: "The test is open note, not open neighbor.")

Tests passed out, they got to work. As I meandered about, one student confessed to me that he understood why the test was open note. "We're bad at math."

Um, no. If they were "bad at math", they wouldn't be in a math class one year ahead of their grade level. "Bad at math" kiddos take math 8 and have an extra period of math called "support" where they spend more time practicing math skills.

The boy amended his statement. "We're bad at this unit."

OK. I can understand that. (The unit covered functions: linear and exponential.)