Some students drive me nuts!

Phoenix24601
Phoenix24601 Posts: 620 Member
edited October 4 in Chit-Chat
Ok, so I need a slight rant about this. I am a high school teacher for starters and there are the two main classes that I have problems with. My students know on Fridays in one class (Geometry) that they always have a quiz over memorizing terms for the chapter; in the other class(Spanish 1), they know that they have a vocab quiz Wednesday, a translation quiz Thursday, and a verse quiz Friday (it's a Christian school). For the last geometry test I posted sample questions likened to the test online to help them study (it was p then q proofs that chapter). I had most of my class fail after telling me that they did not study. In Spanish today, they had their translation quiz. I gave them a practice quiz yesterday over the exact paragraph that they were to translate today. Today they made the exact same mistakes that they made yesterday. As I was grading, three of the students told me that they had not studied. I even had an English to Spanish word bank on the quiz. I never had a teacher that did all this extra stuff for me and it frustrates me that some students are that lazy. This is not a one time thing. It's consistent. :ohwell:

Replies

  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
    That surprises me at a private school. What I mean by that is, their parents all pay tuition for their education, so I would expect these students to put more into it than that. I also work at a private (Catholic) high school, but these guys study their butts off because they know they need the grades to get into a decent college. I imagine you are quite frustrated!
  • horror_hamster
    horror_hamster Posts: 278
    i wouldn't take pity on them. I'd let them know "hey, 75% of you FAILED this test even though I gave x, y, and z to you. These DO count toward your final grade in this class (and maybe even tell them how much each one is worth, 10%, etc.) And at the rate the majority of you are going, you will not pass this class without some serious attitude adjustment!"

    ok, maybe omit that last bit, but you get the point.

    Maybe they "don't realize" how dumb they're being and how much this really will affect their final grade. And dont add any more "freebies" they'll think they won.
  • jayliospecky
    jayliospecky Posts: 25,022 Member
    Sigh. I taught high school science for years and this so brings back memories. You can beat your head against a wall, but you can't make them learn. Hang in there. There must be a few bright lights in there somewhere?
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member
    i wouldn't take pity on them. I'd let them know "hey, 75% of you FAILED this test even though I gave x, y, and z to you. These DO count toward your final grade in this class (and maybe even tell them how much each one is worth, 10%, etc.) And at the rate the majority of you are going, you will not pass this class without some serious attitude adjustment!"

    ok, maybe omit that last bit, but you get the point.

    Maybe they "don't realize" how dumb they're being and how much this really will affect their final grade. And dont add any more "freebies" they'll think they won.

    I'm a teacher too. Don't omit the last bit-- I wouldn't, even with my fourth graders.
  • quietlywinning
    quietlywinning Posts: 889 Member
    When I was in high school, nobody had ever shown me HOW to study. I made efforts, but was not effective at it. My grades were generally Bs so nobody thought anything of it, I guess. I was a hard worker by nature, but I can definitely understand how and why kids would give up on studying if they really don't know HOW. That should have been taught by mid-grade school, but from what I have seen and heard, rarely is taught. I don't know if you have the freedom to determine your class schedule and content, but if you can, maybe take a week off and go through various study methods and have them work together to find out how each of them best learns, then start reminding them to study in the way they best learn before each quiz/test.
  • rthompson81
    rthompson81 Posts: 305 Member
    Yes, I agree to the previous post. I used to teach high school, and now I teach university level - Spanish also. Scare the crap out of them. Call their parents. Make sure they know that this is serious. A bad grade will bring down their average, and they won't get into the college they want or they won't do well once they get there. They need to know that both subjects are important (in my opinion Spanish moreso than geometry, but that's a different post, and quite subjective, I realize) to their overall development as human beings and global citizens, but more importantly to their grades. Tell them you're not afraid of giving a failing grade to every single one of them, because you're not going to lower your expectations for them.

    Suerte!
  • lakersfan4life
    lakersfan4life Posts: 322 Member
    i hear where youre coming from and can understand your frustration. But on the other side of the coin, youre teaching a couple of classes that to this day i would have no interest in and would do the least amount possible to get a passing grade in the class.

    The way i look at it, I live in the United States and have no need or want to speak spanish. I dont plan on moving to Mexico. Btw, i am bilingual so it doesnt have anything to do with intelligence or not being able to learn a second language.

    As for geometry, well that speaks for itself as i will never use it in real life. And im an accountant so I'm very good with math.
  • sarahmaryfearnley
    sarahmaryfearnley Posts: 366 Member
    When I was in high school, nobody had ever shown me HOW to study. I made efforts, but was not effective at it. My grades were generally Bs so nobody thought anything of it, I guess. I was a hard worker by nature, but I can definitely understand how and why kids would give up on studying if they really don't know HOW. That should have been taught by mid-grade school, but from what I have seen and heard, rarely is taught. I don't know if you have the freedom to determine your class schedule and content, but if you can, maybe take a week off and go through various study methods and have them work together to find out how each of them best learns, then start reminding them to study in the way they best learn before each quiz/test.

    Agreed. I am a college instructor and I consider actually showing them HOW to study as part of my job. It's ridiculous but most of them do not know and I get the same BS. "Oh, I failed, I guess I should have studied".

    I actually spend part of the lab time before the first test showing them how to make study notes, why they are different than class notes, and how to use them to prepare. I give them extra credit for every test they make decent study notes for ;) I am also considering nest semester going back to old school overheads instead of powerpoint because then I can actually show them how to take class notes. It's amazing how many of them sit with thier arms folded even when I say, "you should write this down".
  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
    i hear where youre coming from and can understand your frustration. But on the other side of the coin, youre teaching a couple of classes that to this day i would have no interest in and would do the least amount possible to get a passing grade in the class.

    The way i look at it, I live in the United States and have no need or want to speak spanish. I dont plan on moving to Mexico. Btw, i am bilingual so it doesnt have anything to do with intelligence or not being able to learn a second language.

    As for geometry, well that speaks for itself as i will never use it in real life. And im an accountant so I'm very good with math.

    With this mentality, no wonder some never study. Education is much more than learning how to do a math problem or conjugate verbs in another language.
  • Nyrissa
    Nyrissa Posts: 40
    I agree with quietlywinning.

    I flunked every class my first two years of High School because they would only teach one style of learning. Which wasn't mine. And they made it very difficult to get the information another way. Once I went into home school and was given the information in the proper format, I got straight A's.

    Even when I went to college, the teacher would teach the same information in all the different learning styles so that no one would be left behind.

    The only thing that still was bad is my learning vocabulary. They showed us 3 ways to learn them in college, flash cards, re-reading the list over and over, and doing a matching game with the words on notecards. And not one of those methods kept any of the information in my head. So I flunked a few of the tests until I finally figured out a way to remember it. D:
  • rthompson81
    rthompson81 Posts: 305 Member
    Also, do they have to do translation and memorization? I think the other posters bring up a valid point... learning styles are very diverse, especially with foreign languages. Memorization worked for me, but it rarely works with any of my students these days. And direct translation is, no offense, quite useless. Conversational, communicative approaches might make them more interested, participate more, and actually become Spanish speakers instead of having a lot of knowledge without the ability to apply it.
  • lakersfan4life
    lakersfan4life Posts: 322 Member
    i hear where youre coming from and can understand your frustration. But on the other side of the coin, youre teaching a couple of classes that to this day i would have no interest in and would do the least amount possible to get a passing grade in the class.

    The way i look at it, I live in the United States and have no need or want to speak spanish. I dont plan on moving to Mexico. Btw, i am bilingual so it doesnt have anything to do with intelligence or not being able to learn a second language.

    As for geometry, well that speaks for itself as i will never use it in real life. And im an accountant so I'm very good with math.

    With this mentality, no wonder some never study. Education is much more than learning how to do a math problem or conjugate verbs in another language.

    i dont believe i ever said anything about not studying or that education wasnt important. I was specifically talking about those two subjects. Not learning spanish or just getting by with geometry has not hurt my employment prospects whatsoever. Now if you want to be an architect, i suppose learning geometry would be in your best interest. but how many future engineers does the op have in her class? i would guess little to none.
  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
    i hear where youre coming from and can understand your frustration. But on the other side of the coin, youre teaching a couple of classes that to this day i would have no interest in and would do the least amount possible to get a passing grade in the class.

    The way i look at it, I live in the United States and have no need or want to speak spanish. I dont plan on moving to Mexico. Btw, i am bilingual so it doesnt have anything to do with intelligence or not being able to learn a second language.

    As for geometry, well that speaks for itself as i will never use it in real life. And im an accountant so I'm very good with math.

    With this mentality, no wonder some never study. Education is much more than learning how to do a math problem or conjugate verbs in another language.

    i dont believe i ever said anything about not studying or that education wasnt important. I was specifically talking about those two subjects. Not learning spanish or just getting by with geometry has not hurt my employment prospects whatsoever. Now if you want to be an engineer, i suppose learning geometry would be in your best interest. but how many future engineers does the op have in her class? i would guess little to none.

    The point of education is not to only learn applications you will use for your future employment. I'm sure you understand that because you also earned a college degree.
  • rthompson81
    rthompson81 Posts: 305 Member
    i hear where youre coming from and can understand your frustration. But on the other side of the coin, youre teaching a couple of classes that to this day i would have no interest in and would do the least amount possible to get a passing grade in the class.

    The way i look at it, I live in the United States and have no need or want to speak spanish. I dont plan on moving to Mexico. Btw, i am bilingual so it doesnt have anything to do with intelligence or not being able to learn a second language.

    As for geometry, well that speaks for itself as i will never use it in real life. And im an accountant so I'm very good with math.

    With this mentality, no wonder some never study. Education is much more than learning how to do a math problem or conjugate verbs in another language.

    i dont believe i ever said anything about not studying or that education wasnt important. I was specifically talking about those two subjects. Not learning spanish or just getting by with geometry has not hurt my employment prospects whatsoever. Now if you want to be an engineer, i suppose learning geometry would be in your best interest. but how many future engineers does the op have in her class? i would guess little to none.

    Learning Spanish has to do very little with actually learning the language. It's about application, critical thinking, and openness to other cultures. You need all of those to be an engineer. PLUS, many studies have proven that second language learners do overall better in every other subject in school. It's not a coincidence.
  • Phoenix24601
    Phoenix24601 Posts: 620 Member
    Also, do they have to do translation and memorization? I think the other posters bring up a valid point... learning styles are very diverse, especially with foreign languages. Memorization worked for me, but it rarely works with any of my students these days. And direct translation is, no offense, quite useless. Conversational, communicative approaches might make them more interested, participate more, and actually become Spanish speakers instead of having a lot of knowledge without the ability to apply it.

    They learn by all those methods - memorization, conversation, translation, etc...
  • Phoenix24601
    Phoenix24601 Posts: 620 Member
    Be back. I have to teach choir.
  • L2M1D52
    L2M1D52 Posts: 616 Member
    Perhaps you are being too easy on them (in my opinion). I agree with what most have said that people learn differently and they may not know how to study. I for one cannot STAND geometry or anything math related. It wasn’t until undergrad where I had a teacher that taught in a way that I could understand where I was able to go “Oh my, if someone taught this way my whole student career and wouldn’t be dumbfounded all the time when it comes to anything math related.” When it comes to Spanish class, I’m Mexican and could not stand the way my schools taught Spanish. To this day I can’t speak Spanish well because all it was about was conjugating and memorization. Now as for me being Mexican and my family speaking Spanish (that’s a whole other thread, lol)

    However, if it is the vast majority of the class that is not doing well, then it may be something else. Now I know when I had teachers that made things easier, I didn’t try at all. However, when I was in school, I didn’t study and still got As and Bs. Another thing was when I had a class that had quizzes each week or multiple quizzes a week. I always thought I had so many opportunities, what does it matter if I don’t do well on certain things? So like someone said talk to them about where they are and whether they will be able to pass if they continue down this road.

    If you haven’t already I’d have a serious talk with them and ask what’s up. Ask them why they aren’t taking it serious and what you can do to help. Be tough on them and be ready to hear what they have to say. Good luck! I teach grad students and they act the same way at times and these people want to get their Masters in Forensic Psychology! I know the frustration.
  • Phoenix24601
    Phoenix24601 Posts: 620 Member
    I understand that the subjects that I teach are not everyone's favorites, but that really isn't the point. In order to succeed in life (in my honest opinion), you need to get through some things that may seem tedious and unimportant. When I was in school, my father had my sister and I take pre-college engineering courses when I was still in junior high. Academics were always important to us. Those three summers that I thought were wasted ended up helping me get an academic scholarship to college, becoming a paid tutor in college, and alowing me to teach subjects that were not just in my major. My bachelors is in history. Spanish, to me, was just a fun thing to learn so that I could be able to talk to more people. That opened opportunities for me to be a translator on mission trips and to teach Spanish here at the school. I know not all students look that much into the future, but I don't see why some don't just give everything their best.
    Also, when I was in school, I ended up teaching myself a good majority of what I learned, because I had paces for a few years. I completely agree that students need to teach themselves how to study, but, I don't want it to be able to be blamed on me for their failures. What I have done is made an account on www.quizlet.com for those two classes that I teach and upload the definitions, postulates, vocab, conjugations, etc. Whether or not they use it or anything else to study is on their heads. Even still, they ask me to curve or give bonuses, and I refuse to do such. In my opinion, I do more than I should by giving them all of their study materials, and if they fail because they lack the motivation then that is not my fault.
    Furthermore, I understand that some students learn different ways, and I have even taken that into account. I have some students that freeze upon seeing a test paper and, with those students, I read the test orally. I am trying everything in my imagination to help them succeed; but, as the adage says, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink."
  • Phoenix24601
    Phoenix24601 Posts: 620 Member
    That surprises me at a private school. What I mean by that is, their parents all pay tuition for their education, so I would expect these students to put more into it than that. I also work at a private (Catholic) high school, but these guys study their butts off because they know they need the grades to get into a decent college. I imagine you are quite frustrated!

    Exactly, if my parents were paying what tuition is here and I was failing, I would be in so much trouble.
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