the failings of youth
My Year 12 students (all bar one) are failing. They're lazy son of bitches and I can't see how to help them when they refuse to do anything. I have had lots of informal discussions with them. Then I spoke with their teacher and read their report cards and fuck me they're failing miserably. They literally don't have a mark between them. Not one. Which is slack as anything. They've been on the course for 4 months and have produced no work. So when I saw them today I was frank with them and said, look we've had fun, your projects sound great, but if you don't pull your fingers out you're not going to get this A Level. I told them that I had seen their reports and that they need to work pretty fucking hard in order to get a mark by the time their first assessment comes around (beginning of January). They all know what it is they want to do, but they say things like: I want to do portraiture but no one will pose for me. Jesus Christ, think outside of the box! You don't need portraiture to be posed, yeah it is conventionally, but it doesn't have to be. Be adventurous, do something out of the ordinary! Have you no concept of original thought?? Some of the others still don't even know what it is they want to do. They've had these last 4 months to think about it and have not even given it consideration. Grr. I'm starting to sound like an adult (or worse, a teacher!) but they're lucky fucks to have these opportunities and someone so eager for them to succeed (that would be me) and yet they barely turn up for lessons and wouldn't even dream of doing work outside of lessons. WTF?
So not only have they done no practical work, they have no theory, no artist research, nothing! I don't want them to fail, but sadly it's looking inevitable. I help them as much as I'm allowed to, I give them ideas, I show them new ways of doing things, I practically tell them exactly what to do, I give them artists they should research. They give me zip.
One of the girls gave me her email address. The fool! I am going to constantly badger her into doing work and set her assignments even after I have left and it will be such fun, mwahaha!
I have been told that some of them are more scared of what I'll do to them if they don't do the work than they are of the teacher. This amuses me. I never try and put myself across like that, it's just funny that they think that. I wouldn't be angry as such, just disappointed. I know they'll be able to produce good work if they just get their fucking acts together. Ha ha, I'm scary : )
Similarly my Year 10s have their assessment soon, and some of them are doing just as badly. I can't be doing with it. Because they're younger and have less experience I am attempting to help them more than the Year 12s who ought to know better. But if I do much more it'll be me sitting the exam. I worry that I'm helping them too much. I believe I am allowed to tell them which artists to research, I am allowed to print them out occasional pictures of other artists work as long as they do the written bits, and I'm allowed to help them draw stuff, but not to do it for them. But I feel so bad for the ones who are going to fail that I want to help them more, and it's so frustrating because I can't. I have a couple of girls who I really get on with and really like, but they have no technical ability when it comes to drawing, and no imagination when it comes to making stuff. I know they're going to end up getting Es in their exams and I don't want them to. It's a moral dilemma, and of course I'm not going to be dishonest about their work or jeopardise my career but I want to help them. The best I can do is get them to stay after school and help them, but I fear even that will not be enough. And none of them are scared of me, dang!
So not only have they done no practical work, they have no theory, no artist research, nothing! I don't want them to fail, but sadly it's looking inevitable. I help them as much as I'm allowed to, I give them ideas, I show them new ways of doing things, I practically tell them exactly what to do, I give them artists they should research. They give me zip.
One of the girls gave me her email address. The fool! I am going to constantly badger her into doing work and set her assignments even after I have left and it will be such fun, mwahaha!
I have been told that some of them are more scared of what I'll do to them if they don't do the work than they are of the teacher. This amuses me. I never try and put myself across like that, it's just funny that they think that. I wouldn't be angry as such, just disappointed. I know they'll be able to produce good work if they just get their fucking acts together. Ha ha, I'm scary : )
Similarly my Year 10s have their assessment soon, and some of them are doing just as badly. I can't be doing with it. Because they're younger and have less experience I am attempting to help them more than the Year 12s who ought to know better. But if I do much more it'll be me sitting the exam. I worry that I'm helping them too much. I believe I am allowed to tell them which artists to research, I am allowed to print them out occasional pictures of other artists work as long as they do the written bits, and I'm allowed to help them draw stuff, but not to do it for them. But I feel so bad for the ones who are going to fail that I want to help them more, and it's so frustrating because I can't. I have a couple of girls who I really get on with and really like, but they have no technical ability when it comes to drawing, and no imagination when it comes to making stuff. I know they're going to end up getting Es in their exams and I don't want them to. It's a moral dilemma, and of course I'm not going to be dishonest about their work or jeopardise my career but I want to help them. The best I can do is get them to stay after school and help them, but I fear even that will not be enough. And none of them are scared of me, dang!