Saturday, September 15, 2012

Lack of Reponsibility

I have been trying to keep my students organized. This school year I put in their syllabus that they needed to have a 1inch binder, 5 tab dividers, index cards, red pen and highlighters. This specifically went on my Intro to Healthcare Syllabus. I wanted to make sure my first year students were on the right track. We set the binders up the second week of school I had my binder set up in the front of the classroom as a guide for them and Just like NTI, they were more than welcome to look at the binder and set theirs up accordingly.  The third week of school I started checking to make sure students had their binders.  Fourth week of school I gave a quiz, the last 5 minutes I allowed the students to use their notes.  Some had their notes and some didn't.  Every five weeks we have a five weeks assessment, after the five week exam, I put up the unit and standards for the next five weeks.  After the exam, everyone is given the instructions to write down the unit standards for the next five weeks and  asked to put them in their  tab labeled syllabus and standards.  I got a verbal confirmation that everyone understood what to do after their exam, I had a few volunteers who verbally expressed what they were to do after the exam..  Before class ended I let everyone know that there will be a notebook check next week.  The sixth week of school on a Friday, the students were working on their opening and I start to go around and check their notebooks.  This is the sixth week of school, notebooks are supposed to be in order. Out of a class of 28 students, only 3 students had their standards in their binders in the correct location.  and 3 just had the standards somewhere in the binders. So the 3 students that had their standards in the correct location of course received a 100.  The students that did not have the standards at all received a  0.  So the students that had the standards not in the correct position when I came around to do notebook checks,but  found them in a book bag or in another section of the binder  want to know if they can get full credit for having the  standards.  I tell them no, because you did not have them when I did the  initial check, you may receive a 50. One student gets all huffy and says we will see, I will just tell my mother and she will clear this up. I tell the student, you didn't have your work in the appropriate position when I asked you for it, you were almost sure you didn't do it until you kept looking in your binder, but you would like full credit? I was just shocked at the lack of responsibility on the students part and for her to have a parent that would condone this type of behaviour.

1 comment:

  1. I think it is great that you started an organizational system with your students. This is a vital skill that they will carry with them through high school and college. I think I would be surprised, like you were that students (so early in the school year) were already so disorganized. Maybe they need a little bit more scaffolding (this could come in the form of a week to week check)?

    Dealing with students and parents has been a shock since I started teaching. My wife teaches middle school, so I have heard stories, but I did not understand the reality until I started teaching. It is surprising to me how fast parents are to take the students side, and how the students have an understanding that their parents are going to come to their rescue. I hope that everything worked out.

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