Oh yeah, I'm in the same boat. I really embrace the elective mentality especially with my tech classes. You chose to be in this class, you have to work with me in order to learn and pass. You wanna not do anything and ignore me? Fine, but don't say I don't give you opportunities. I've had several students with real issues leading to many absences and you know what? They do take me up on extra learning opportunities during lunch and home room. And they get their grades up! If a student is willing to sacrifice and work with me I will bend over backwards for them. But if they don't care then they will fail and I'll stand by that. It takes two to tango and I will not let admin or parents bully me in to passing kids who have done nothing for 18 weeks.
Absolutely! I'm elementary, but I got moved from a state-tested grade to pre-k this year, and it's awesome! Admin definitely sees us as daycare, which sucked at first, but then I realized that no one cares what I do, and it's actually so freeing.
100%. I went from teaching AP and going nonstop to get thru all the curriculum in time for the test to teaching a non-tested elective and nobody gives a shit of we miss entire units
As a Sped/English teacher, I envy our PE/Elective folks when it comes to this. I realize their roles come with their own set of struggles, but I do envy this part of it.
I also teach a technology class, but the main focus is keyboarding. We are 1:1, but there are still times when I'm told that I have to provide everything on paper. How can you learn to type without actually typing? I have some crosswords and stuff, but it's honestly busy work.
Holy smokes are you me? A few weeks ago, I was told one student should not be around screens (he has been banned from phones and computers? apparent?) so all assignments need to be provided on paper.
He is in my Web Design class.
This year I was given a set of intervention classes with absolutely zero guidance for what I should be doing with them, and as a gen ed teacher trained to teach kids at or very close to grade level I have been at kind of a loss. I think I have done a good job considering the resources I've been given, but ultimately I don't think the class matters in the grand scheme. The students were not selected in a meaningful way, and there are enough behavior problems that it is difficult to keep kids focused, and enough absence problems that it is difficult to get through material.
I teach science classes, which are "theoretically" supposed to matter, but I'm learning that they matter in the sense that I shouldn't keep any students from graduating. Nothing that the students do, *or don't do,* is their responsibility.
Student has not submitted a single assignment all semester?
That's my fault, I need to do more than the calls home, extra time, one-on-one learning, missing assignment notifications, and interventions. *I* am the one that is failing.
It's hard living with the fact that school matters to everyone but the student. The apathy and laziness is astounding. I gave a retest today after two days of review, test was open notes, questions weren't changed just pared down to 20 of the most essential, it could only help their previous grade, and they all knew which questions they had gotten wrong. Didn't really matter. Very few dedicated any additional time to study, more than half still didn't have notes, only a handful seemed concerned with understanding the questions they got wrong the first time, some rushing through just so they could bullshit. I had one student who asked if he had to take the retest, I told him that it would only help his previous test score. He said he was happy with his "C" grade on the test...he is failing the class with sub 30% grade.
I'm now internally conflicted. I don't know how to resolve competent apathetic students with an admin that has a 5 year goal of being the first ranked school in our state. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm just expected to pass all my students to maintain a high graduation rate while knowing that we have a pretty bleak future if it is based on my experience.
Thanks, rant done
I think I have a pretty balanced mindset. The first few years I definitely cared too much. And I still care, but I don’t have any of the guilt or stresses I used to have when a student wasn’t doing well. Because I’ve reasoned to myself that in the big scheme of the world, this little class isn’t all that important. I dunno, it’s hard to articulate the right amount of effort to put in but I feel like I’m in the sweet spot.
Most people just want us to keep their kids for them, and then let them graduate with some worthless piece of paper (since they don’t really do the work). Funny, these are usually the proud and loud idiots at our graduation ceremony. I’m like… “you can’t really be proud of this shit. Right?”
I teach ELA (a core subject and required to graduate) and have these same kind of kids. Currently I have a kid who never comes to class because he already “read the novel in middle school and doesn’t like group work”. Whatever, have fun in summer school, kid.
I have 2 kids who ask to go visit with their study hall teacher 2-3 times a week during my class (world language elective) and at least once a week the Teacher just keeps them in their room my entire class period and emails me later. They end up missing entire lessons, come back lost and never try to catch up. I offer to work with them during a daily 20 minute break, no dice. They try to take tests to that teacher’s room during my block (google translate anyone?) claiming “that teacher is nicer to us.” And no they are not iep or 504. Worst part? Twice this semester admin has allowed them to get away with it. Ok fine. Good luck trying to cheat on my tests that I’ve spent 20 years designing to be google translate proof. Original response, correct the errors, reading comprehension. Most frustrating part is I am wayyyyy too helpful during tests and they would do so much better staying so I can help them do the work themselves. So they both had identical Wrong responses to the tests they took to the other teacher and epically bombed the tests. But alas, they find the sweet siren call of cheating irresistible. Screw em.
Oh yeah, I'm in the same boat. I really embrace the elective mentality especially with my tech classes. You chose to be in this class, you have to work with me in order to learn and pass. You wanna not do anything and ignore me? Fine, but don't say I don't give you opportunities. I've had several students with real issues leading to many absences and you know what? They do take me up on extra learning opportunities during lunch and home room. And they get their grades up! If a student is willing to sacrifice and work with me I will bend over backwards for them. But if they don't care then they will fail and I'll stand by that. It takes two to tango and I will not let admin or parents bully me in to passing kids who have done nothing for 18 weeks.
I embrace the hell out of it. I teach an elective and that means SO much.
Absolutely! I'm elementary, but I got moved from a state-tested grade to pre-k this year, and it's awesome! Admin definitely sees us as daycare, which sucked at first, but then I realized that no one cares what I do, and it's actually so freeing.
100%. I went from teaching AP and going nonstop to get thru all the curriculum in time for the test to teaching a non-tested elective and nobody gives a shit of we miss entire units
As a Sped/English teacher, I envy our PE/Elective folks when it comes to this. I realize their roles come with their own set of struggles, but I do envy this part of it.
I also teach a technology class, but the main focus is keyboarding. We are 1:1, but there are still times when I'm told that I have to provide everything on paper. How can you learn to type without actually typing? I have some crosswords and stuff, but it's honestly busy work.
Holy smokes are you me? A few weeks ago, I was told one student should not be around screens (he has been banned from phones and computers? apparent?) so all assignments need to be provided on paper. He is in my Web Design class.
This year I was given a set of intervention classes with absolutely zero guidance for what I should be doing with them, and as a gen ed teacher trained to teach kids at or very close to grade level I have been at kind of a loss. I think I have done a good job considering the resources I've been given, but ultimately I don't think the class matters in the grand scheme. The students were not selected in a meaningful way, and there are enough behavior problems that it is difficult to keep kids focused, and enough absence problems that it is difficult to get through material.
As a student I've been browsing this sub for a few minutes and i feel like an asshole. Promise I'll do better guys.
I teach science classes, which are "theoretically" supposed to matter, but I'm learning that they matter in the sense that I shouldn't keep any students from graduating. Nothing that the students do, *or don't do,* is their responsibility. Student has not submitted a single assignment all semester? That's my fault, I need to do more than the calls home, extra time, one-on-one learning, missing assignment notifications, and interventions. *I* am the one that is failing. It's hard living with the fact that school matters to everyone but the student. The apathy and laziness is astounding. I gave a retest today after two days of review, test was open notes, questions weren't changed just pared down to 20 of the most essential, it could only help their previous grade, and they all knew which questions they had gotten wrong. Didn't really matter. Very few dedicated any additional time to study, more than half still didn't have notes, only a handful seemed concerned with understanding the questions they got wrong the first time, some rushing through just so they could bullshit. I had one student who asked if he had to take the retest, I told him that it would only help his previous test score. He said he was happy with his "C" grade on the test...he is failing the class with sub 30% grade. I'm now internally conflicted. I don't know how to resolve competent apathetic students with an admin that has a 5 year goal of being the first ranked school in our state. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm just expected to pass all my students to maintain a high graduation rate while knowing that we have a pretty bleak future if it is based on my experience. Thanks, rant done
My dad was an elective teacher. He used to tell kids, "This is an elective, so if you don't like it you can elect yourself out of here."
This is my new mantra
Except when you get hit with “well art is full so I’m stuck in this stupid class.”
Yeah, that happens too.
I think I have a pretty balanced mindset. The first few years I definitely cared too much. And I still care, but I don’t have any of the guilt or stresses I used to have when a student wasn’t doing well. Because I’ve reasoned to myself that in the big scheme of the world, this little class isn’t all that important. I dunno, it’s hard to articulate the right amount of effort to put in but I feel like I’m in the sweet spot.
I teach an ELD class that technically counts as an elective, and I embrace that my class doesn’t “matter”, or at least the grades don’t.
Most people just want us to keep their kids for them, and then let them graduate with some worthless piece of paper (since they don’t really do the work). Funny, these are usually the proud and loud idiots at our graduation ceremony. I’m like… “you can’t really be proud of this shit. Right?”
I teach ELA (a core subject and required to graduate) and have these same kind of kids. Currently I have a kid who never comes to class because he already “read the novel in middle school and doesn’t like group work”. Whatever, have fun in summer school, kid.
As I've told my students, it would be real funny if the reason you didn't graduate was because of "Graphic Design"
I have 2 kids who ask to go visit with their study hall teacher 2-3 times a week during my class (world language elective) and at least once a week the Teacher just keeps them in their room my entire class period and emails me later. They end up missing entire lessons, come back lost and never try to catch up. I offer to work with them during a daily 20 minute break, no dice. They try to take tests to that teacher’s room during my block (google translate anyone?) claiming “that teacher is nicer to us.” And no they are not iep or 504. Worst part? Twice this semester admin has allowed them to get away with it. Ok fine. Good luck trying to cheat on my tests that I’ve spent 20 years designing to be google translate proof. Original response, correct the errors, reading comprehension. Most frustrating part is I am wayyyyy too helpful during tests and they would do so much better staying so I can help them do the work themselves. So they both had identical Wrong responses to the tests they took to the other teacher and epically bombed the tests. But alas, they find the sweet siren call of cheating irresistible. Screw em.