I don't meet a lot of kids who are determined to fail, but occasionally there's one who leaves no stone unturned in that quest to reach the bottom of the barrel. Now it's one thing for a kid to never bother showing up, but quite another to be there on a fairly regular basis and manage to never try at all.
I vigorously advocate home contact (as regular readers of this blog know), but it doesn't work 100% of the time. With Steve, I've called his mom and dad on many occasions, and they're suitably horrified when I report his lack of effort, but I've only been able to effect very superficial changes in his behavior. For example, he no longer sleeps in class. He no longer makes remarks about his classmates. He doesn't arrive late nearly as frequently as he used to. In fact, I've got him sitting at his desk every day giving the appearance that he's doing work.
But whenever I go to check his work, he hasn't done anything. And when I collect work, including tests, his papers are notoriously absent. A few days ago, he asked, "Mr. Educator, if I show up every day and do all the rest of the work, can I pass this class?"
Now that's a loaded question. It's not really productive to tell a kid he has no chance whatsoever of passing a class, even if that's what your heart of hearts tells you.
"Steve, you've asked me that many, many times. And each time you've failed to keep your word. What's different now?"
"It's the third marking period. This is the one that counts."
I don't know exactly where kids get the idea that two thirds of the semester is just for practice, and that teachers will forget about it in the end. But it's a very common belief. In meetings, we're encouraged to pass kids who've failed most of the term if they catch up in the end.
The thing is, I've never actually seen anyone do that. And even if I had, what message would passing them send to the kids who've been consistently doing work all semester? I'm reminded of a gothic novel called The Monk, in which last-minute conversion figures prominently. Of course, God may be more forgiving that I, or indeed many of my colleagues.
Frankly, while I can't read his mind or see into his soul, I find Steve's offer a little hollow. Have you seen kids turn around this late in the game? What did you do when that happened?
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