It is that time of year again; temperatures vary, flowers bloom, lovely breezes, and...the end of the semester. I've come to hate the end of the semester/year. Teachers are cranky and tired, students are frisky and ready to be finished with their school year. The combination causes stupidity to rise and grades to fall.
I am currently teaching one of the lowest performing groups I've taught over the course of my career, and I am really blue about it. They ditch classes, they are frequently absent (excused, of course) or tardy, and then they are surprised when they begin to fail a class. Regardless of how easy it is to communicate with teachers, students play the "fool," surprised to know anything happened while they were gone, shocked that a teacher expects an absent student to contact them. I'm most frustrated with how many students regularly have "migraines." Come to find out, it's an excuse they're using now to miss class.
What has happened to this generation of students? Why do they not care about their education? Even my own son doesn't care nearly as much about school as his father and I did when we were in fourth grade. I understand that high school, developmentally, is a social time for teenagers, and I understand that academics isn't as high a priority for them. What I don't understand is where their parents are; why are their parents allowing their lackadaisical attitude to persist?
Pundits happily blame teachers for a lack of student achievement, but what about considering students and parents as well? I have emailed more parents this year than in previous years, and I've had fewer responses from parents than I expected. It's almost as though they seem to feel it's not their job to parent or enforce rules. More parents enable their children in terms of absenteeism, not completing work, and not making up work. They too are surprised when they find out their child cannot make up work from several months prior. I don't quite grasp that logic. It seems to me that the professional world has deadlines that aren't usually extended and expectations for employees that are upheld.
I'm told that I'm preparing students for the 21st century, for careers that haven't been invented yet. I feel the pressure to make sure all my students are proficient in English and have a sense of responsibility. I feel like I'm doing my part. When will parents and students do their parts?
