NEED SOME PRAYERS for some of our WHS seniors – –
This year, the school district changed the grading policy. Homework basically counts for nothing in most classes. Students may be assigned 30 problems but in total they receive 4 points for the assignment. This seems to be the policy by many, many of the teachers. All together, homework counts for 30% of the final grade. Tests on the other hand count for 70% of the overall grade.
I NEVER supported this type of grading as a teacher. I felt that it was unrealistic. In our day to day lives/jobs most of us perform mundane, repetitive, menial tasks. We’re allowed to use resources to assist us as we accomplish whatever we need to do. How often are we put on the spot and made to perform life altering tasks without being allowed to seek out the wisdom and help of those we rely on or looking up information that may be helpful? Long story short, life is more about the homework than tests to me.
With this DRASTIC change in grading procedure, we have quite a few FABULOUS kids who are jeopardy of not being able to graduate! The tests they will take in the next few days will determine whether or not they will be able to walk proudly across the stage on Friday night or not! We also have other kids walking into these last tests with high averages (for example an 89 B+). These students are also in jeopardy of dropping from a B+ down to a C- or lower with the power of ONE TEST! In the old days it would have been low stress or anticipation. There was no or low stress of losing the B, it was more like, “Oh, with some hard work, I can bump up to that A!”
We have other students who are failing math classes and absolutely do not care. WHY should we pray for those students? The state only requires the students to pass three math classes to graduate. ALL of the classes are advanced classe. There are NO basic math classes offered in our district for high school students. They are ALL for college bound students ONLY, never mind the fact that we have a wonderfully HUGE vo-tech program which also supports and educates many, many school districts in the surrounding areas.
So, what is the issue with their math classes? Many of these students whom I personally know are failing this “extra” but required (by the district) math class. There is no incentive for these kids, as they don’t need it for their futures. They literally say, “I don’t need it to graduate, I’m not worried about it. It doesn’t matter. I don’t care!”
I understand their attitude, it’s not that these kids don’t care, they really do care about their futures. Unfortunately, they have learned they don’t matter, their spirits have been crushed and defeated by a school system which is no longer focused on our children! They are paying the price with their GPA and the school in the end has a failure rate that shouldn’t exist.
It’s a Fail-Fail and it breaks my heart for these kids to have the defeated spirit. This is NOT the way our schools are supposed to work! Our schools are supposed to prepare our children for the future, but obviously it isn’t. Instead, it is teaching them to accept failure and defeat.
If you have opinions about these policies, please feel free to comment. Have no fear of who may read them. There are a few people I know who STILL CARE about our children and their education and they NEED to our your thoughts and concerns.
So, no matter your opinions on MY commentary, please:
- PRAY for our administrators, school board members, and teachers to go back to doing what’s best for our children.
- PRAY for our children as they are facing these obstacles.
- Lift them and their spirits to help them sore and proudly walk across that stage on Friday night.
- PRAY for the students who aren’t able to pass these last few tests and won’t be allowed to walk across the stage on Friday night.
- PRAY they have the courage to go back in the summer or fall in order to earn the credit needed to earn their diplomas, too.
- PRAY for our children as they end their high school careers and begin traveling their new paths on the road to their futures.
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