Like this:

Today, I’m motivated. But are the students?

Last week I was not motivated. I already felt like a failure.

Wow.

“I already felt like a failure.” As soon as I typed that sentence, it just hit me that my students probably felt the same way.

…

People are too quick to praise and assume I’m doing well with my classes. And of course if they do (administrators and mentors and all), I’m not about to say, “Oh, no! The students aren’t learning anything!” But I guess no one can give constructive criticism when they only see/hear the good things in my classroom, so here we go.

I have way too many D’s and F’s. In fact, after entering my last test scores on Chapter 10, Quadratics, my Period 3 was ALL D’s and F’s. Talk about OUCH.

This is what happened today.

I erased all the Chapter 10 test scores from my grade book (Well, I kept their score on the comment section). Everyone is going to retake it. Then I typed out the warm up for today.

Warm Up — Two simple questions. They were yes/no questions.
Be VERY honest.
1. Do you want to pass this class?
2. If no, thank you for being honest. If yes, are you willing to WORK to pass this class?

I gave them a few minutes to think about it. They were short questions, but I wanted them to make a decision, and not just write what they thought I wanted to hear.

“If you wrote YES to both questions, please write your name on the paper, and hand it to me.”

All but two students handed me their paper. I was thinking there was going to be less and was surprised at the level of commitment many of them just showed. Furthermore, half of them wrote out their reasons for wanting to do well, despite the questions only requiring them to answer yes or no.

After receiving their papers. I explained that I was committed to helping them pass, to do everything I could to make sure they learned what they didn’t understand, but I could not do it if they weren’t doing their part. I told them they needed to make exceptional effort, and with only a month left, I could only help those that do.

Then the first thing I asked them to do was to choose a new seat, as close to the front and center as possible. And if they did not sign the paper, to give up their seat to someone who would better utilize it. One student did give his seat up and moved farther back, but not all the way to the back since all the others were sitting near the front.

I used to hold students in for the 20 min tutorials for missing assignments after class, because at least there was something for them to do during that period that would improve their grade. I realize now that it was a waste of time.

[I used to keep all D's and F's, but when D-students with all assignments turned in would ask me what they could do during the 20 minutes to bring up their grade, I wouldn't have anything to give them except for practice tests. I could not afford the time to sit down with one student and tutor them one-on-one during that entire period, so I gave up on that.]

Then I said that things will be different, and they may hate me for what I’m about to say. I will be expecting EVERYONE who turned in a paper to stay for every tutorial until the end of the year. (With my semi-implementation of the whole Standards-Based Grading system, the students will now have direction and purpose of what to work on during this time, and not just copy assignments to get them done.)

With that, I asked, “Does anyone want their paper back?” And no one did. In fact, no one even seemed upset about having to stay for tutorials.

Lastly, I clipped all of the papers turned into me up onto the whiteboard and told them, “I’m leaving these up here for us to see, like a contract to each other that we will work our hardest throughout the next month.”

Then I went on with the lesson, and it was the most focused, students-engaged class period I’ve had with them in a long time.

========================

I realize that this would probably only work during crunch time, the final stretch of the year — especially for my seniors taking Algebra I, asking me what needs to be done to pass the class in order to graduate.

My questions now…
1. Where do I go from here? I need to keep this level of focus for the rest of the month, but this commitment to a contract will last a few days at best. How do I keep reminding them of their goal, and keep them on track?

I was thinking of each week, having some sort of activity focused on their goals and reasons for passing, but I can’t really think of anything that wouldn’t seem too contrived, and like those “feel-good” lessons that I hated while in high school.

2. I wasn’t planning on doing this with my 5th period since I have a few A/B students in there, and I didn’t want to tell them they were required to stay for tutorial. But when no one would focus at the start of the class, I threw it up there. It worked, though not to the same degree. I told them that A/B students would not have to stay, but C’s were not acceptable. I had one student take his paper back, but he was still very engaged in the lesson. I suspect that two or three students turned in the paper because of peer pressure, but if they fail to show the same level of commitment as other students, do I just give it back to them?

3. It recently came to my attention that I’m focusing on the wrong students. One of the students in my 3rd period that chose not to commit to passing the class is one of the students that I have been hounding the most, standing next to him to make sure he works, keeping in contact with his mother who wants him to do well, parents signing previous contracts, keeping him in after class to force help on him, etc., etc. But what teacher wants to say that they “gave up” on a student? Is it wrong of me to give up on a student…or students?

Everyone of these students are in need of special attention, and I don’t have the energy/ability to give that to everyone single one of them. In fact, I think I maybe a little in over my head trying to get all those committed to passing to really pass, but if they indeed try, then I best be trying too, and not spare any effort either. But even then, the question did come up from one of my 5th period students.

“Mr. T, are you giving up on us?”
“No, but you have your work cut out for you, and I have my work cut out for me, and with one month left, I can’t afford to spend my time with people who aren’t going to do their part.”

Is that wrong of me to say that?

4. How do you motivate students right from the get-go?

5. Let me rephrase #4. How do you activate a students’ intrinsic motivations to do well at the start of the school-year, when the end (in their eyes) is so far away?

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