We gave the Earth Science laboratory practical in the last week and many of the students missed it because they showed up late to class and were not let in. The laboratory practical is an important part of the Earth Science Regents and averages 15% of the final Regents grade. These students were told days in advance that if they are not in the lab room within five minutes after the late bell sounds that they would be refused entry to take the lab practical. Astonishingly, many of my and other teachers' students failed to heed our warnings about getting there on time and were shocked when we couldn't let them in. Now these students must hope that we volunteer a period of our time to allow them to do a "make up". In our school there is no money for per session "make ups". Therefore, I will give up my lunch period to let students take the laboratory practical and I can tell you very confidently that I will still have students show up too late to take it. Why would these students not show up on time? The blame lies with the school Administration. that ignores this behavior.
The fault lies particularly with the Principal of the school. Under his poor and leaderless Administration and inconsistent student discipline policy the many students who failed to show up on time can be attributed to his allowing students to enter the classroom anytime they want and teachers are lectured for locking their classroom doors or refusing tardy students entry to the classroom. The Principal tells the teachers to enforce the rule of "no cell phones or ipods" in class but refuses to take action against the very same students who use both in the school hallways and stairwells. Of course, teachers are ignored as the students realize that the school Administration does not have the back of the teachers. Moreover, the Principal seems to protect the behaviorally challenged students who walk the halls consistently and disrupt the school environment.
The consequences of the inconsistent strident discipline policy is the many students who failed to show up on time for the Earth Science laboratory practical and will probably fail the Regents. Of course guess who will blamed? You guessed it the teacher!
Probable, which means “likely,” comes from the Latin term probabilis, which itself stems from probare, meaning “to approve, prove, or test.” Related words referring to the first sense include approbation and probity; prove itself is akin to probable, as is probe. Probability is the term for the branch of mathematics dealing with chance and is used in logic to refer to the degree to which two statements confirm each other.
ReplyDeleteProbable refers to what is likely to be done, to occur, or to be true; possible refers to what can be done, to occur, or to be true. If you say something is probable, you are expressing more confidence about it than if you state that it is possible. But the distinction is significant: It is possible, for example, for anyone to become fabulously wealthy, but the probability is infinitely variable.
Those are the kids that try to pull same crap in college where there are no second chances. If you don't give them the chance in HS your stats will be low and you will be in danger of receiving a U.
ReplyDeleteChaz, IT IS the fault of you, I and the other teachers. You are just being obtuse. Do you not (as well as our colleagues) understand, it is our job, to go to each students' home, wake them up, help them brush their teeth (after letting them go to the bathroom in peace), dress them, feed them and drive them to school, carry their books for them, so they text with free hands, and walk them to class.
ReplyDeleteHow do you not understand this?
Can't we blame the teachers somehow? Must be their fault? Just you wait....every damn thing wrong in the schools is the teacher's fault. Leave it his highness the all powerful third term self-appointed dope and his ignorant poodle to discover. Seriously, at my former school, lateness went from about 1% to 30% when the parents complained that the principal locked the doors and kids had to spend the day on the streets or worse at home with mom. Today you can see them walk in one or two hours late, after a quick breakfast at the bodega, to be herded into the auditorium and sent to class at the bell.....not to disturb those in progress. All this stuff needs to be laid at the feet of management, but Mulgrew....his hands are tied....just like every principal says.....it's a virus that Bloomberg doesn't want to cure. Ask why? He's afraid of the parents. Just like all the former management heads. Parents need their sleep too!
ReplyDeleteshouldn't we be wiping their a _ _ es too?
ReplyDeleteI too am in a turnaround school and we don't even have certified Earth Science teachers teaching Earth Science. It is just insane and hurts the students. If these schools can get away with no hiring certified subject teachers in the new schools as they do now.
ReplyDeleteshould we not be wiping their
ReplyDeletea _ _ _ s also?
My former principal didn't know his *** from either his elbow or a hole in the ground!
ReplyDeleteThat being the case, I was surprised when one of the other teachers told me, "Mr. X is the type of person who likes the teachers who lick his ***, and the longer your tongue is, the better he likes you!"
I always wondered whether elbow-licking or hole-in-the-ground-licking would suffice.