How NOT to Teach Work Ethic

I will admit...time has gotten away from me. I had no idea that a week had passed since I last posted. Between being busy at work (end of the semester) and busy at home (decorating for Christmas...I'll post pictures sometime) i just haven't had a lot of blogging time..

But now I have some...and this post topic has been plaguing me for a week, so it could get a little "soap boxy." I apologize in advance.

As a freshman teacher, I feel it is my responsibility to teach kids work ethic, responsibility and self motivation. I also think they need to learn how to plan things for the long term as well as the short. I have teachers who rely on these kids being whipped into shape by the time they become sophomores, juniors and seniors, and I take that very seriously. I don't want to send horrible kids on to the higher grades because they just won't make it.

I am notorious for high expectations. High as in I think all kids can get at least a C if they try and I expect them to turn their work in (which, for some kids, is the hardest thing of all). I tell all the kids and all the parents this at the start of the year.

This year things started out great. The kids did their work, they passed all their tests, they brought all their stuff to class...it was like teacher heaven. I was so optimistic about the rest of the year.

And I shouldn't have been.

Second quarter has been horrible. I have two classes that have class averages below a 70. I have one class in which over half the class refused to do a presentation...they had a month to get ready. Kids have stopped turning in work, they are failing tests, etc. I gave them numerous opportunities to make up work (the whole time following our late work policy of one day late for 70% and a up to a week late for 50%), but few ever did it.

I was genuinely concerned because I thought it was something I was doing. So I asked them about it. You know what they said? They had better things to do and they, they were lazy, they didn't really want to do it, and they were just too busy to complete their work.

Excuse me? Too busy? You're 14.

Anyway, I went to the administration about it. You know what I was told? That apparently my teaching work ethic wasn't working and I needed to think about giving kids the opportunity to make up all their work for nearly full credit.

Once again...EXCUSE ME?

I was livid when I left the office. I couldn't understand why I was the only one who could see what was happening...You want to know why these kids have no work ethic? Because they never had to. Because this is the same old song and dance that they have done for years...the students know that if they don't do their work, the teachers will have to give them a million opportunities to do it.

Hell, if my electric company kept giving me extra time to pay my bill without penalty why would I ever pay it on time?

I refused to do it. I will probably get pulled back into an office one day soon so I can be asked what "I" am going to do about "my" failures.

My failures, huh? I think I have done all my work (on time) and I know I have bent over backwards to help these kids. I check email from home, keep two websites maintained for handouts, keep a blog for parents and a myspace page for kids...not to mention the fact that I spend more time at school than I do at home.

It's time for someone to ask the kids what they are going to do about their grades...and maybe, just maybe, we can start teaching them that work ethic is something they all need...now and in the future...

Because the electric company isn't nearly as forgiving as we are forced to be.