Octobers Already Over?

The posts have once again gotten spread a little thin through the month of October. I will attribute the time off to my birthday and a slight cold that I haven't been able to kick.

Well I made it through October... I am not sure if that is the best way to put it. "Made it through" sounds as if I survived something or persevered over some type of obstacle, but I guess when I think about it... some days I do think I have "made it through."

I am hoping to affect lots of change and to see my students grow and flourish, but the truth is that many of them are still struggling. Most of them are still waiting for their breakthrough in math or science (among other classes, just the only ones I teach). I have had a few big successes teaching thus far, but really only even to keep going the next day. It seems as if when my motivation is at an all time low something good happens in my classroom.

For example, a few days after one of my students was expelled from school for hitting another student (prior blog), one of my students figured out how to change improper fractions to mixed numbers during after school tutorials. (tutorials - small group instruction that I teach after school for math on Tuesdays and Thursdays). His comments of "oh mister, I get it" and "this is easy" have been the fuel that has kept me going over the past several days.

After the last two weeks I feel as if I am due for something good again. My students' last exam scores, on material I had just taught to them for the past two weeks, came back much lower than I expected. I had some students score well 90-95%, but the class average was still about a 50%. My goal is to have my students performing at a class average of 80% mastery of each topic I teach... therefore 50% mastery is unacceptable. I was told this was "normal," but really, I am not looking for normal, or to have my students continue at the same rate that they have in years past... I guess I have a lot of work ahead of me.

On a different note...
I caught two of my students stealing from me last week.

They were taking prizes from my "treasure chest," which I have as a reward system for my students. Students can earn tickets (at my discretion) and then enter them in the drawing that takes place every other Friday.

One of the students that stole was one of my best students and I was crushed on the inside to have to punish him for what he had done. Sometimes it is hard to be fair as a teacher. It is so easy to reprimand the "trouble maker" but sometimes hard to do the same to the "good student." I was fair though, and gave both students the same consequences. My principal wanted them suspended, but I didn't see how missing school was going to help them at all. I think that one of the students would actually have enjoyed the day off. Both students had to write me an apology and then a phone call was made home to their parents. Judging by their behavior in class the next day, I think their parents (or guardian) must have taken care of it. I don't know if I agree with the "whoopin" some of my students get at home when they misbehave, but it seems to be very effective.
Unfortunately, neither one of my classes will be having a drawing from the "treasure chest" this Friday...