It's not a big deal, actually: just got kinda ticked at my afternoon class for not doing their homework, or rather, because 4 of 10 people did their homework. I asked how many were burning to go over it, and no one said a word, so we moved on. I stayed professional and buried my anger, and soon enough we talked about apostrophes and it passed.
So I'll have to close another loophole when I teach this course again. It's a prep class for a statewide proficiency test of sorts--it's in two parts, reading and essay, and I teach the essay portion. All students who eventually graduate from this system have to pass the test. It doesn't affect GPA or the ability to register for most other courses; it's just a stupid graduation requirement.
So the majority of these students are in the prep course because they've failed the essay at least twice; a few take the course voluntarily, simply for the extra practice. It's a not-quite-half-semester course, and we're almost done. And we're at the point now where they write an essay in class every time for four straight classes, and they're a little weary.
Or maybe they just didn't find verb forms and verb tense enthralling topics today. Nor, maybe, did I. No biggie, right?
That said, they've actually been my most enjoyable class this semester. These prep classes can be hit or miss, especially since so many who have to take them are resentful that they haven't passed the test yet and that they have to, essentially, get drilled for 7-8 more weeks on things they've never been much good at.
Before this spring, I'd only taught the course once four years prior, and as then, I feel that after a certain point there's not much more I can do to help them. If they're in the same ruts at the end, it's up to them to seek help. Right? Is this thing on?
No comments:
Post a Comment