The Praxis of Pedagogy Day 41

Well today was a very interesting day. More presentations and they were for the most part better than the ones earlier in the week. Kids are scrambling like crazy now making busy. Lots of kids are handing in late work and taking quizzes they never took. This is a bit much and I'm going to have to do a different system next year. Shut the books on quizzes and homework 2 weeks after the due date. I'll also have to post grades often so they know where they are.

I was pretty disappointed in one of my favorite students because she doesn't have a very good grade in my class and she is a senior that is supposed to graduate. I told her that her presentation and paper had to be great if she wanted to pass my class. Then she came into class and gave a great presentation. I was so happy but slightly bewildered cause I hadn't seen her do much work on her project. Then she handed me her paper and it was a paper she had already written in another class in March. She even kept it in the same portfolio with the same cover. I can't take that. I talked with her CTM and we're going to tell her to do another paper and presentation by Monday.

But in my first period I found a student looking at an obscene and derogatory picture that was drawn of me and a student. Sexual references were drawn alongside the picture. I had a very good idea of who it was and was pretty surprised because I get along well enough with that student. But I guess I was wrong. The paper was under the desk that he always sits at, but I needed to be sure so I checked the handwriting against some of his work. I went all detective style on him. I noted in particular the similarity in the writing of the letter u and he spelled the student's name wrong. So during lunch I casually walked up to the student and said hi and made some small talk. Then I asked him how to spell the student's name and he spelled it wrong like in the picture. Later I confronted him with the my knowledge of the picture. He tried to play innocent but I pressed him more and he admitted to it. Now he's suspended to the end of the year and can only come back to take his finals. His parents are also going to be coming to the school tomorrow to apologize to me. I still think that he's a good kid but he's ridiculously immature. The student that he drew the picture of and him are always capping on each other in a real stupid teenage way. Your momma this... Your momma that. I've told them numerous times to stop before, but now it's gone too far and the stupid kid is suspended. He wasn't suspended until later on in the day when I showed the picture to his CTM. He was in one of my classes and he was presenting today so I decided to really scrutinize his presentation.

First off he was supposed to present on a certain topic that he wrote down months ago. Instead he presents on a completely different topic that has nothing to do with the class subject. To top it off he was just reading off a handout that he got on the internet. So I picked away at his presentations in a calm and rational way. I asked him for data on things and to explain the relevance of things. He squirmed and I kept very quiet with the spotlight of the classroom on him. After a protracted silence I asked some more questions. After more silence I let him off the hook.

There was definitely some schadenfreude going on. Would I go so far as to say sadism... no because I called out other students that presented as poorly as he did. I mean the kid obviously didn't do much work cause just a few days ago he was asking me what was the topic for his project. We've had days where students can work on projects and I've been on his case for not having any work, but he really didn't do shit after those work days. I mean the kid had forgotten what his topic was. Whatever... it's over.

Anyways, I've realized through this whole presentation process that I have to teach students how to give presentations. I also have to press them more during the work days and assign points for work.