25 weeks... no, make that 15

December 1, 2007
Before the break, I was striving to meet with a couple fellow science teachers so I could get a better sense of what I need to accomplish and how to pace my classes for the rest of the year. We weren't able to coordinate it until the day after break, though, so I've still been teaching and planning day-to-day. Looking at our calendar, not including breaks and holidays, it appeared I had 25 weeks left and 24 chapters in our text. It seemed practical - spending 1 week per chapter, but they just informed me in our meeting that there is a state exam in April for which my students basically need to know EVERYTHING to answer questions in every content area. That only leaves me 16 weeks!!!

Fortunately, as a first year teacher who started a quarter through the year, they said nobody expects me to finish in time. That takes some pressure off, but I still feel it's unfortunate for the students who are not learning as much and will be penalized on their grades for something beyond their control. On the other hand, I'm still struggling to pull back the reins on the three classes that were on the loose before I started. Some of my strategies have worked for most of each class, but there are still the few who refuse to do what I ask and have no fear of consequences. I took the time to call a few parents this past week, but the mother of the one I was most concerned about said she gets the same response from all her teachers.

So what do you do when the parents have completely given up and offer no support? The natural reaction for teachers is to get stricter and meaner the more students misbehave and disrespect their authority. Even the Principal and Vice Principals I have spoken with say I shouldn't lighten up - I just need to follow protocol and continue to file reports and referrals when necessary. But somewhere deep inside, I feel like there is a possibility of winning them over by showing I care and that I am there for them. I know it requires more "tough love", and I have to work harder to not let them get away with things. I'm just willing to put a ton more energy toward that style than to pretend to be someone I'm not. Does this make sense? I hope somebody will stop me if I'm about to make a terrible mistake...