What is in an A?

[artist4perry]

Some students look at their lives as if they are entitled to receive high marks for little to no efforts.

It was progress report time. I had quite a few students mad at me. Their grades had dropped somewhat because of apathy towards their work.

It has been like pulling teeth to get them to do anything in class.

I had students today telling me they did not deserve having their grades dropped to a B. They deserved an "A!"

I said what did you do to deserve an A? They said I do work in class.

Let me describe the work of these students.

Little Johnny or Susie come into class, they sit down, knowing what there assignment is, and where all the supplies are, but don't get started till about 15 to 20 minutes into class. This is usually when I get fed up with their procrastination to work, and I have to tell them to find something to do.

They take a long time getting their paper, mostly because they spot a buddy and start talking to them about their latest date, or the TV show they watched last night. Mind you this takes 5 to 10 minutes on average. The urge to get to work again has to be coaxed out of them by me telling them to get on task.

They sit down, maybe draw a 2 inch circle, then throw something at their buddy across the room when I am helping someone at another table. Of course this gets the other student to get off task then they retaliate in kind. Wasting of another 5 minutes.

They laugh at a joke their friend tells, and their pencil never touches the paper for at least another 5 to 10 minutes.

The time has come for everyone to clean up and all they have to show for their work is a 2 inch circle. The class is 45 minutes long, and they have spent all of 1 to 2 minutes drawing.

An A means excellence...........a concentrated effort to do ones dead level best, to put your best work forward. To strive for neatness in your work, and using your class time wisely. You are not ...entitled to receive an A. You must earn it.

[Archetype]

Little Johnny or Susie come into class, they sit down, knowing what there assignment is, and where all the supplies are, but don't get started till about 15 to 20 minutes into class. This is usually when I get fed up with their procrastination to work, and I have to tell them to find something to do:

Are you sure that you're in a position to be teaching? Maybe their assignments aren't very intellectually stimulating.

[Arianddu]

Have a friend in the Bay area making pretty much the same comments. He's taking over the classes of a teacher who had a nervous breakdown and had to leave. He's struggling to get the kids to understand that they actually have to do work; they are there to learn, not just kill time on school premises. He lost it one day, and told one class that if they were going to behave like 3rd graders, then he'd give them that level of work to do. These are high school kids, and 80% failed a 3rd grade maths test! Another class he did the same thing to, setting colouring in as a home work assignment to show them up. One kid protested that it wasn't fair because he hadn't taught colouring in! That time, though, a class mate responded "did you fail kindergarten or something" and the class generally got the point and pulled up their socks a bit.

I can't help wondering how much of this is down to the self esteem 'no child can be allowed to fail' movement.

Maybe next term in the first class give them a scale of what it takes to get an A, a B, a C, etc, and how you allocate marks. Give them something concrete to aim for, and make it clear that while artistic talent will get marks, it's work and effort that really determines what grade they get. I often think people don't understand that about art, drama, music, etc.

[Clasicrockldy]

Put down set rules of class behavior. Write down on the chalkboard what is expected of them. And if they do not follow the rules and expectations you set for them, there will be consequences. (you set the consequences for first time offense, then up the consequences each time they don't do anything. Three is the limit. Three strikes their out.) They are there to LEARN! Social shite should be done outside of school, when they are done for the day. (if they are of age that they have cell phones, they should be shut off while in class.) I don't know what ages the kids are that you teach, but they need to be shown that there are consequences for their lack of getting the work done. And a half assed drawing isn't cutting it for an "A".

[Clasicrockldy]

Little Johnny or Susie come into class, they sit down, knowing what there assignment is, and where all the supplies are, but don't get started till about 15 to 20 minutes into class. This is usually when I get fed up with their procrastination to work, and I have to tell them to find something to do:

Are you sure that you're in a position to be teaching? Maybe their assignments aren't very intellectually stimulating.

Or just maybe kids don't give a shit about doing hard work. My kid was a master at not getting any work done, because she was up talking to friends in class, which got other kids in class not doing their work. I had her moved to another very small school to where her grades are getting better.

I don't believe Ginger is to blame in this. Kids today are all about talking to friends in class and texting on their cellphones. Most of them don't give a rat's arse about doing schoolwork, let alone to put the time in to do their schoolwork to get those "A's" that they think they are entitled to.

[Clasicrockldy]

P.S. Ginger, tell them that school is their JOB! And to treat school like it is employment. If they don't get the work done, they will be FIRED! (Tell them that efforts like that will not get them anywhere in the job market except for being fired)

[Duncan]

Some students look at their lives as if they are entitled to receive high marks for little to no efforts.

It was progress report time. I had quite a few students mad at me. Their grades had dropped somewhat because of apathy towards their work.

It has been like pulling teeth to get them to do anything in class.

I had students today telling me they did not deserve having their grades dropped to a B. They deserved an "A!"

I said what did you do to deserve an A? They said I do work in class.

Let me describe the work of these students.

Little Johnny or Susie come into class, they sit down, knowing what there assignment is, and where all the supplies are, but don't get started till about 15 to 20 minutes into class. This is usually when I get fed up with their procrastination to work, and I have to tell them to find something to do.

They take a long time getting their paper, mostly because they spot a buddy and start talking to them about their latest date, or the TV show they watched last night. Mind you this takes 5 to 10 minutes on average. The urge to get to work again has to be coaxed out of them by me telling them to get on task.

They sit down, maybe draw a 2 inch circle, then throw something at their buddy across the room when I am helping someone at another table. Of course this gets the other student to get off task then they retaliate in kind. Wasting of another 5 minutes.

They laugh at a joke their friend tells, and their pencil never touches the paper for at least another 5 to 10 minutes.

The time has come for everyone to clean up and all they have to show for their work is a 2 inch circle. The class is 45 minutes long, and they have spent all of 1 to 2 minutes drawing.

An A means excellence...........a concentrated effort to do ones dead level best, to put your best work forward. To strive for neatness in your work, and using your class time wisely. You are not ...entitled to receive an A. You must earn it.

How does that even deserve a B?

[parfait]

Good grades are relatively easy to get in the states. I have a family member who got average grades back home, but got straight A's in a school in a HS in NY. It's all about the teacher - if they don't put in the work, then they can shove that good grade up their ass - effort however shouldn't count though. It's the results that matters, whether or not the student puts in a lot of work is irrelevant.

[YoungJRNY]

My girlfriend was just put through a RIGOROUS 5 years of a very strict college and is now student teaching before she graduates this May. She goes for Elementary Education and I look forward to her teaching stories. Sometimes, you just have to get as stern as absolute possible and have a set of rules they NEED to obey and if they don't obey them then they have to have a slight scare tactic of any sort to go along with consequence. There is simply no other way. Explain to them the details of why they didn't get the grade that they think they deserved and go from there but be reasonable and fair along with stern and serious.

I do however, agree with parfait. As long as that child performs to the overall grade and gets the necessary work done in that 45 minute span, then so be it.If they can show to you that they CAN get it done and they DO match the standard of their education that day then you are doing your job well as well. Getting the grade is one thing, and behavior is certainly another. Seems more like a behavior matter and it starts with you and how you conduct your own classroom and set standard. Even though you've probably dealt with this for some time, you always learn something new every day in the teaching world. Good luck.

[artist4perry]

Little Johnny or Susie come into class, they sit down, knowing what there assignment is, and where all the supplies are, but don't get started till about 15 to 20 minutes into class. This is usually when I get fed up with their procrastination to work, and I have to tell them to find something to do:

Are you sure that you're in a position to be teaching? Maybe their assignments aren't very intellectually stimulating.

Nice of you to assume I am a bad teacher when you have never been to one of my classes. Not everything you do will be a three ring circus for them to be entertained to a fit of excitably. Actually the more intellectually stimulating I make it, the more they complain that it is too hard, and they don't want to have to think. So much for that theory.

[artist4perry]

P.S. Ginger, tell them that school is their JOB! And to treat school like it is employment. If they don't get the work done, they will be FIRED! (Tell them that efforts like that will not get them anywhere in the job market except for being fired)

Clasicrockldy, I do tell them that. I also tell them what is expected. I give them clear guidelines on rubrics, so they know exactly what is expected. They also have to abide by classroom rules and procedures. As for those blaming me here................LOL! I don't worry about Monday night quarterbacks..........they have never seen me teach, so it is funny they feel they can assess my teaching abilities without even knowing what I am doing or not doing! LOL! Every one is a critic I guess.

The grades hit a nerve though, they have all started getting with the program for the last couple of days. Marks went home to their parents! LOL! One student told me that his dad said, you better do your work in her class or else your grounded! He came and asked me what he could do to improve, and he jumped right on his work today. I think the message rang out loud and clear. Earn your grades, don't expect an easy A.

Parfait, not all children will draw like Leonardo da Vinci. But they will learn with practice and yes effort. I give them the chance to show me that they can improve with effort and practice.

Art and music are a different animal. You don't play concert trumpet the first time your learning how to play. So how does a band teacher grade their students? By efforts given, and practice put in. Also by performance, was the student giving it their all.

Students grow as they learn. But they cannot learn something hands on, if they never put in the time and practice. How is your drawing skills by the way?