Under Construction or "Words My Grandmother Taught Me"

I must apologize to my more loyal readers that have pestered me for not posting of late. The period since my last posting was consumed first by exam preparation (as the previous post hinted at the first signs of) and then by the exams themselves and then by what I can only describe as the fallout from those exams.

I write today if for no other reason than for the fact that it is time to bring you who are not present in my classroom up to speed, whether the "you" I refer to is someone near to me or it be wider posterity (I am rather enamoured with my own importance sometimes; I am, after all, a history teacher).

96 students took my exam. One of them earned a 100. Six total earned A's. A fair mix earned B's and C's. A full 60% (that's 58 total) failed the exam. Were I at any other school, I would have resigned my position. I decided to look at it like this: "Well, at least I reached 6 kids." When students lack any study skills, possess near-zero prior knowledge, and value things other than school, well... these are the results. I read an article recently that described the gradual dumbing down of America, and while I think the views expressed are far too pessimistic for me to adopt them myself, I cannot help but reflect on the fact that the evidence presented in the article is, even if superficialy, cropping up in my own classroom.

American students lack the structure, the push, the screaming need to succeed. Or, if I over generalize too much, MY students lack this essential quality. But, more than this motivation, they lack the base knowledge required to succeed. They have been passed forward by a system that would rather be rid of a problem than solve it. And I, as a 9th grade History teacher, am left with the dirty mop that is my children's basic skills. How am I to teach children about Alexander the Great and the rise of Rome if they are shown a map of Italy and think it Africa? If they cannot read the word "agriculture" and then, once told the word, cannot define it? To quote a paper I recently wrote, "I chase rainbows on a clearing day."

Confronted with this conundrum, I redesigned my class the weekend after exams. I sat down and asked myself the simple question: "What do I wish to accomplish before the end of the school year?" I answered myself in four parts: "1. I want to teach my students to think; 2. I want to teach my students to write & research properly; 3. I want to teach my students Western history; and 4. I want my students to improve in their geographic knowledge."

My class now has four component parts and each part has its own development aspect worth 10% and its own mastery aspect worth 15%. When multiplied by four, the casual observer will note that "development assignments" now compose 40% of my students' grades and "mastery assignments" now compose 60%. Each category has its own types of assignments to achieve the stated aim of development or mastery.

So far, I have hit a couple roadblocks and frustrations. The first is writing and research. I nearly broke down the weekend that I decided to redesign my curriculum - indeed, it was the breakdown that provided that catalyst for the redesign - when I read what I presumed were simple 5 paragraph essays helping my students to review. They were, without mincing words, the most atrocious dribble ever to be penned by human hands. I know 4th graders that have better structure and more concept of what it means to communicate in English. I nearly quit.

Clearly I did not. But I spent two weeks with two classes and now I am on my third week with the other two teaching them how to properly structure a five paragraph essay, how to write a proper APA bibliography, and how to cite a quote in a paper. I told the students the following: "Until the class as a whole obtains an average of 70 or better, I will reteach this and requiz you even if June arrives before I am done." Every class failed the first quiz. Only two failed the second. God willing, no class will fail the one that approaches this Friday and we shall move on into the bright sunlit uplands of essay writing and history studying and map memorizing. For if they do not, then shall descend a further week of study of paper writing and my students will fall even further behind - at least with regard to the historical material. With regard to essay writing, well... if I teach them nothing else but how to write a proper paper, then I suppose I have accomplished something of merit, something of benefit. Indeed, I know I will have.

The two classes that passed, well, they pressed onward this week with a deep question of history: a five paragraph essay, due at the end of this week, on whether Alexander the Great was a promoter of Greek civilization or an egomaniacal drunk with a lust for power. They have delved into the books and are scratching their collective thinking hats in an effort to produce something not only of interest about Alexander, but that meets my requirements of structure for the proper presentation of ideas.

It naturally raises a dichotomy: what happens when you move forward with two and leave two behind? And, God forbid, what happens if one more moves ahead this week and the last one gets left behind. Time is more valuable than gold to me, more precious than money, for I have so little of it, my kids have so little... They start the school year with a month deficit from day one because of their work schedules. And I'm expected to do the same as any other 9th grade history teacher with students that are not at grade level in even less time than would normally be allotted. I am reminded of a pithy sign that hung in the entry way of my grandmother's home when I was growing up:

"We must acheive more with less time, fewer resources, less gratification, and no coffee break -- and it's all due yesterday."

I doubt I've remembered it perfectly and I believe the sign was a crack about civil engineering since she worked for the county, but the words stuck with me -- and they come back now that I live them. Alas, this blog has already eaten up time I do not have. Watch for another post within the week (I hope), gentle readers. Until then, I build on.