The Teacher Thread

[Eason]

I can fail them, but I really don't want to be part of the problem. Giving these kids a marginal pass will do nothing to solve the problem. That's not how Eason rolls.

Will Eason ever take a bribe though?

Eason don't do bribes

 

[CBrown85]



Forget them, concentrate on your best students. Some students are just hopeless cases, they'll regret it later when they flunk. If a student is more than 5 minutes late here, the door is locked and they miss the lesson, and have to stand outside the classroom. Fortunately at our school, lateness, truancy and absenteeism are fairly rare.
If a student is disruptive to the classroom, deprivation of privileges often puts them right.

Is this your policy or the school's?

 

[MikeDT]



...

Forget them, concentrate on your best students. Some students are just hopeless cases, they'll regret it later when they flunk. If a student is more than 5 minutes late here, the door is locked and they miss the lesson, and have to stand outside the classroom. Fortunately at our school, lateness, truancy and absenteeism are fairly rare.
If a student is disruptive to the classroom, deprivation of privileges often puts them right.

Is this your policy or the school's?

School's policy, as of last year. Gives them an incentive not to be late for lessons. The corridors are cold and the classrooms are nice and warm. Students are very rarely late for lessons. The school itself is very strong on student discipline anyway.

They don't do detentions here, as it's not really productive and wastes everyone's time. Punishments usually involve extra cleaning duties instead of doing sports, or something they might like. Anyone caught smoking is fined. No corporal punishment either.

 

[CBrown85]

yikes.

 

[ryoneo]



Forget them, concentrate on your best students. Some students are just hopeless cases, they'll regret it later when they flunk. If a student is more than 5 minutes late here, the door is locked and they miss the lesson, and have to stand outside the classroom. Fortunately at our school, lateness, truancy and absenteeism are fairly rare.
If a student is disruptive to the classroom, deprivation of privileges often puts them right.

+1 Absolutely agree with this. It's impossible to cater to every single student. The best thing to do is to focus on the ones that are showing up and willing to learn.

 

[ryoneo]



hey fellow teachers & associates
Does anyone have any creative strategies to deal with high school students that are habitually late and/or absent? I've tried everything...detentions, push ups, calls home and nothing seems to deter it? Looking forward to your ideas.

There are no real strategies. Just consistently annoying them is about all you can do. I was totally the same in high school, so I know that just about any threat or punishment will not work. I would not waste too much energy on trying to "correct" the situation. They are again, high school students, and they have very thick skulls.

 

[MikeDT]



School's policy, as of last year. Gives them an incentive not to be late for lessons. The corridors are cold and the classrooms are nice and warm. Students are very rarely late for lessons. The school itself is very strong on student discipline anyway.
They don't do detentions here, as it's not really productive and wastes everyone's time. Punishments usually involve extra cleaning duties instead of doing sports, or something they might like. Anyone caught smoking is fined. No corporal punishment either.

yikes.

You do know I'm in Mainland China?

OK this might freak you out:

School day starts at 05.30 with wakeup call, 06.00 running to martial music and whistles(exercise), 6.30 breakfast, 7.30 first lesson, 10.00 more running to martial music, 10.30 lessons, 12.00 lunch then break, 14.40 lessons, 16.10 running to martial music, 16.30 lessons, sports or drill, 18.00 dinner, 19.00 self study or homework in classrooms, 21.30 end of self study, 22.00 lights out. Six days a week Monday to Saturday. Sunday is day-off. It is a boarding school.

 

[deveandepot1]



You do know I'm in Mainland China?
OK this might freak you out:
School day starts at 05.30 with wakeup call, 06.00 running to martial music and whistles(exercise), 6.30 breakfast, 7.30 first lesson, 10.00 more running to martial music, 10.30 lessons, 12.00 lunch then break, 14.40 lessons, 16.10 running to martial music, 16.30 lessons, sports or drill, 18.00 dinner, 19.00 self study or homework in classrooms, 21.30 end of self study, 22.00 lights out. Six days a week Monday to Saturday. Sunday is day-off. It is a boarding school.

Why so much sports and excercises? Doing that six days a week might be counter productive to good health.

Edit- With 7 hours of sleep a night too?

 

[6up]

It's frustrating- are the kids who have issues with being late or absent still fulfilling the state or provincial learning objectives? The fundamental problem is, of course, that carrots and sticks are terrible motivators for changing people's long-term behavior. The issues that things like detentions and push-ups cause seems to me much greater than the seeming short-term benefits they derive. I'm wondering, if you were constantly late to work and your principal made you do pushups during lunch in the staff room, called your wife or kept you in on weekends it wouldn't increase your intrinsic motivation to be a good professional. If anything, it would create either hostile feelings, cause you to consider that staying late at school is a punishment (when in reality putting the idea of 'being in school = bad' or that exercise = punishment).

I feel you on the motivation factor. I guess its different for every student/class/school.

The problem is that the principal feels these lates/absences will eventually pull down their grades and we can all see the correlation there!

When I have kids who are habitually late I try to understand why it is they're late. There are hundreds of reasons that we could discuss here, but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter. Do the kids consider your class important? Interesting? Crucial? Are the kids having issues at home? Are they 'fashionably late' for a reaction out of you (which leads to a worse problem- the dreaded you vs. them). ****, are they late because mom or dad are ****** at getting them to school on time?

Often, I just let it roll off my shoulders. As long as they arent disruptive and settle quickly. The VP on the other hand wants all staff to handle it in house. Hence, you can administer "pushups" if you think it will help.

Talk to the other teachers about the specific kids who are constantly late. Are they late to everyone's class? Only mornings? After lunch?

Problem seems to be school wide, every morning and immediately after lunch classes.

 

[MikeDT]



Why so much sports and excercises? Doing that six days a week might be counter productive to good health.

Doesn't seem to be a problem, I often join-in with them, keeps me fit as well. In fact many students want to play basketball or volleyball during their spare time, even more exercise. Almost no students are obviously overweight either, unlike the UK.

Edit- With 7 hours of sleep a night too?

Yup, the school has a long lunchtime break from 12.00 14.40, many students will retire to their dorms and sleep... aka a siesta.

 

[deveandepot1]



Doesn't seem to be a problem, I often join-in with them, keeps me fit as well. In fact many students want to play basketball or volleyball during their spare time, even more exercise. Almost no students are obviously overweight either, unlike the UK.
Yup, the school has a long lunchtime break from 12.00 14.40, many students will retire to their dorms and sleep... aka a siesta.

I am glad the kids are healthy.
When I used to sub, I would often spend my lunch time shooting hoops with my students too.

 

[CBrown85]

Wow. Total culture/mind ****.

 

[CBrown85]

hey fellow teachers & associates
Does anyone have any creative strategies to deal with high school students that are habitually late and/or absent? I've tried everything...detentions, push ups, calls home and nothing seems to deter it? Looking forward to your ideas.

There are no real strategies. Just consistently annoying them is about all you can do. I was totally the same in high school, so I know that just about any threat or punishment will not work. I would not waste too much energy on trying to "correct" the situation. They are again, high school students, and they have very thick skulls.

Forget them, concentrate on your best students. Some students are just hopeless cases, they'll regret it later when they flunk. If a student is more than 5 minutes late here, the door is locked and they miss the lesson, and have to stand outside the classroom. Fortunately at our school, lateness, truancy and absenteeism are fairly rare.
If a student is disruptive to the classroom, deprivation of privileges often puts them right.

+1 Absolutely agree with this. It's impossible to cater to every single student. The best thing to do is to focus on the ones that are showing up and willing to learn.

Don't know if serious.

 

[CYstyle]



You do know I'm in Mainland China?
OK this might freak you out:
School day starts at 05.30 with wakeup call, 06.00 running to martial music and whistles(exercise), 6.30 breakfast, 7.30 first lesson, 10.00 more running to martial music, 10.30 lessons, 12.00 lunch then break, 14.40 lessons, 16.10 running to martial music, 16.30 lessons, sports or drill, 18.00 dinner, 19.00 self study or homework in classrooms, 21.30 end of self study, 22.00 lights out. Six days a week Monday to Saturday. Sunday is day-off. It is a boarding school.

I find similar routines throughout asia. Although not so much of the running to martial music and more studying. It's no wonder why China and India and other Asian countries are becoming powerhouses, and the US and Europe are decaying.

 

[CBrown85]

You do know I'm in Mainland China?
OK this might freak you out:
School day starts at 05.30 with wakeup call, 06.00 running to martial music and whistles(exercise), 6.30 breakfast, 7.30 first lesson, 10.00 more running to martial music, 10.30 lessons, 12.00 lunch then break, 14.40 lessons, 16.10 running to martial music, 16.30 lessons, sports or drill, 18.00 dinner, 19.00 self study or homework in classrooms, 21.30 end of self study, 22.00 lights out. Six days a week Monday to Saturday. Sunday is day-off. It is a boarding school.

I find similar routines throughout asia. Although not so much of the running to martial music and more studying. It's no wonder why China and India and other Asian countries are becoming powerhouses, and the US and Europe are decaying.

...? I don't think this is the reason they're becoming powerhouses.