Recently, one of my students has been slipping dramatically academically in my class. When symptoms first showed up about two weeks ago, I thought he was just transitioning to the harder material (this unit is one of the harder ones in the curriculum -- there's a lot of tricky wording with the percent equations that sometimes it's difficult to understand what the question is asking). But he's been slipping in many other ways that probably don't have to do with the change in the rigor of the curriculum for this unit. He has grown more apathetic, gotten EXTREMELY lazy to the point where he can't even follow simple directions like taking out a calculator and has "ganged up" with some of the other more troublesome students.
James is a student in my second period class. My second period is unquestionably my hardest class of the day. Despite my successes in my first, third, sixth and eighth periods, my second period still has a good handful of chatty, apathetic, lazy and sometimes rude students. Now, thankfully, this only accounts for 5 out of my 32 students in that class period, but I feel that SO MUCH of my attention is directed towards them each day. James started off the year okay, but like I said above, started rapidly declining about two weeks ago.
From what I've observed in class, James started associating with the other four "hard-to-discipline" students around three weeks ago- when I moved my second period's seats for the fourth time this year (yuck! ridiculous, right?). His attitude completely flip flopped 180 degrees after he started associating with these kids. He has shown more hostility to others and sometimes even towards me or classroom visitors (I honestly hope I don't get observed in this class... until I figure out how to keep this class under better control...). I often have to move his seat in class so he doesn't get in the way (well, at least not too much) of the other 27 very bright students that actually care about school. He has had a total of SEVEN (yes, seven!) lunch or after school detentions. We have conferenced numerous times about his behavior. He even signed a behavioral CONTRACT - that he just violated today.
His behavior and continual decline really started frustrating me. I've talked to my roommates about it today and they said to just let him be. Problem is, 1) that's kinda wrong! I feel it's my duty to make sure he learns and succeeds! and 2) umm, I have value added I need to worry about... if he's not getting the material, where am I going to be next year? (now, granted, the vast majority of my kids are grasping the material, as shown in informal checks and grade-wide school assessments, but still... every child matters in value added!). So, I spent my entire prep today talking to the guidance counselor and school psychologist about James' behavior.
And here's where this might get into a topic on race. James is the only white student in our entire school. Yet, his mom earns much less than the neighborhood average of $25,000 a year... more like $17,000 a year working "odd jobs", as stated on his student info form. James thus feels, according to his guidance counselor, a need or gap for pride - and he gets it from hanging out with those four kids. Thus, by peer pressure (since the average grade for those kids in my class is a D and we calculated, their average GPA last quarter was a 1.35). To "fit in", most likely, James needs to dumb down his standards and grades to feel more accepted.
Whereas many of my students improved their grades both in my class and in other classes, either by positive association or through good rapport with me, James has gone the other way. I am genuinely concerned about him. We're entering the second semester in two weeks - and if this doesn't get fixed soon, he won't be ready for the challenges of freshman year (or for high school, for that matter). According to his guidance counselor, he has gotten into discipline entanglements in the past few weeks, many of which he was involved with the other four kids I had mentioned.
I came into teaching to rescue students like James, and Max, and Sa'von and Kareen. And even though I have found success in the majority of my efforts, these students have still not realized their potential. I understand that there are going to be some students I can't meet the needs of. But I can't sell myself or them short.
I will definitely keep you guys updated with more about James (and the others too!). Happy end of Thursday! One more day left until the weekend!!!
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