I am full of win
So there is this kid I have who was a slacker all last semester. He's smart but doesn't believe in himself. He never does his homework. He is always online looking at anime and posting to blogs and writing RP stuff on said blogs. He plays D&D and is a little socially awkward. Naturally, the geek in me took to him instantly.
He is a really neat kid and so I went to him two weeks before midterms in December and said, "Hey you. You're going to turn in work to me because I like you too much to let you fail my class."
This semester I have been the cold hard breath of justice breathing down his neck and telling him to turn things in. I made a homework deal with him to get him to turn things in. I have done everything from tease him in class to e-mail him (once in the format of a telegram) to get him to turn things in. I have been giving him bi-weekly pep-talks about how he is smarter than he lets on and isn't applying himself and how if he really tried he could have straight A's.
It is not often in a private school that I encounter such a child. General wisdom is that when you teach at a private school you can't "make a difference" because the children you teach would be successful whether you were there to teach them or not. They are, for the most part, the best and the brightest and though there are some who have extremely low level (I spent 10 mins convincing one of my classes that mermaids aren't real last week ::shudder::) most of them have good work ethic coming into high school and will rise to any and all challenges put to them. I have it good working in such an environment, but I digress.
My battle with this child has been fought with setbacks and many moments where I came home and told myself that my will is stronger than his and I am not going to let him fail. He needs a teacher to make a difference for him and if I don't do it now, noone will. My critics tell me that I am "spoiling" and "babying" the kid and they say that I should let him fail, as he has apparently done in some of his other classes both at this school and some of his others. He told me that he decided a long time ago that he just wasn't good at school. Thing is that he could be. He doesn't see it, but I do. I believe that, in most cases, kids can benefit from the learning experience of failing but in this kid's case I felt like he needed someone to help him get his shit together. Someone to believe in him because he, and many of the people in his life, has ceased to.
He has turned in every homework assignment but one since January both on time and complete to the extent of our homework agreement and today he took a test in my class. He made the highest grade, a 103. He missed a couple questions but got a perfect score on the bonus question that pushed him over the top. He currently has an A- in my class for this term and a B- in my class for the year so far. Last semester he had a C. When I called him in to tell him he was in shock and was amazed at his success. His mother was very excited when I told her about it too. I said, "See what you can do when you apply yourself kid. I'm proud of you. Well done." Now I don't delude myself that the battle is over by any means, but I feel this is a major victory.
And that today. For one moment. For one brief shining, glorious moment. I made a difference for this kid. And I have to say...it feels REALLY good.
He is a really neat kid and so I went to him two weeks before midterms in December and said, "Hey you. You're going to turn in work to me because I like you too much to let you fail my class."
This semester I have been the cold hard breath of justice breathing down his neck and telling him to turn things in. I made a homework deal with him to get him to turn things in. I have done everything from tease him in class to e-mail him (once in the format of a telegram) to get him to turn things in. I have been giving him bi-weekly pep-talks about how he is smarter than he lets on and isn't applying himself and how if he really tried he could have straight A's.
It is not often in a private school that I encounter such a child. General wisdom is that when you teach at a private school you can't "make a difference" because the children you teach would be successful whether you were there to teach them or not. They are, for the most part, the best and the brightest and though there are some who have extremely low level (I spent 10 mins convincing one of my classes that mermaids aren't real last week ::shudder::) most of them have good work ethic coming into high school and will rise to any and all challenges put to them. I have it good working in such an environment, but I digress.
My battle with this child has been fought with setbacks and many moments where I came home and told myself that my will is stronger than his and I am not going to let him fail. He needs a teacher to make a difference for him and if I don't do it now, noone will. My critics tell me that I am "spoiling" and "babying" the kid and they say that I should let him fail, as he has apparently done in some of his other classes both at this school and some of his others. He told me that he decided a long time ago that he just wasn't good at school. Thing is that he could be. He doesn't see it, but I do. I believe that, in most cases, kids can benefit from the learning experience of failing but in this kid's case I felt like he needed someone to help him get his shit together. Someone to believe in him because he, and many of the people in his life, has ceased to.
He has turned in every homework assignment but one since January both on time and complete to the extent of our homework agreement and today he took a test in my class. He made the highest grade, a 103. He missed a couple questions but got a perfect score on the bonus question that pushed him over the top. He currently has an A- in my class for this term and a B- in my class for the year so far. Last semester he had a C. When I called him in to tell him he was in shock and was amazed at his success. His mother was very excited when I told her about it too. I said, "See what you can do when you apply yourself kid. I'm proud of you. Well done." Now I don't delude myself that the battle is over by any means, but I feel this is a major victory.
And that today. For one moment. For one brief shining, glorious moment. I made a difference for this kid. And I have to say...it feels REALLY good.