The last few days of the school year are always a challenge. The kids are ready to be done, and start asking things like, “Why are we still doing work? Doesn’t the school year end next week?” To which I reply, “Yes, it does. It ends next week, which means this week we are still in school, and still doing things.”
They do not care for this answer.
It’s the end of the school year, the time when students suddenly show concern for their grades. You’d never know they’d spent the previous four quarters avoiding assignments and complaining about homework and quizzes.
You try to create an interesting, fun project for the kids to do in the last couple of weeks of the school year, and they have no interest in it. Go figure.
The Virginia Standards of Learning (or SOLs), as the end of course tests are called, are a difficult time for the students. For some, their score is not quite high enough for a pass, but it is high enough they can do an expedited retake in a week or two and hopefully raise their score high enough for a pass.
School is back in session! I’m sure the students are just as excited about it as I am.
Might actually be preferable.
If only we could deal with students this way.
Students ask me about my political leanings all the time, and I always have to tell them that I can’t tell them because I don’t want to be accused of brainwashing the kids.
Of course, if they actually listened to what I say for about ten minutes, they could probably figure it out.
It takes a lot of work to break their spirits.
Hey, it’s been a day, so I need to remind you again that I have a book you can buy here. You should do that.
Sketches From Memory 