Have to vent

I am a high school teacher at a career education center, what we used to call vocational technology. I teach programming and game design. We do not get to select our students not can we remove students from the program for any reason. I only say that because other career centers have that ability. It is a 4 year endorsement that they receive alongside their diploma and have the opportunity to receive various certifications.

As for me, i have been a teacher of the year nominee several times, achieving runner up for my district one year. I have also been teaching for almost 30 years and been at my current job at the career center for almost 4 years. I have a good reputation among my peers and students. As one of them told me a few days ago, "we like coming to your class because you listen to us and attempt to understand where we are coming from." I do not consider myself a great teacher but i work hard to matter my craft and attempt to treat everyone with dignity and respect.

That was just saying background about me. Now about the situation that had take bothered me:

Every six weeks, if you have what is considered a failure rate that is too high, you have to explain WHY it's that high. Here comes the part that made me angry. I have a 20% failure rate and every single one of my failures is due to them not turning in their work. I get on to them about turning the work in, i contact parents but they do not turn in their work. If you ask them, most of them will tell you that they just don't turn in their work and if you ask them why, they will just shrug and say "dunno". One of my classes literally only has to write 3 sentences about what they did that day and done choose not too. My administrators told/fussed at me with 2 things that really bothered me.

1: when i see a 20% failure rate i wonder about the educator. (I thought that i was friends with this person)

2: maybe, if they are writing their 3 sentences they only turn in one sentence, you could give them a 33.

I really don't know what to say. Have we come so far that we can't be bothered to hold students accountable for writing an entire 3 sentences.

Submitted March 03, 2021 at 06:19PM by Themightygeckoe https://ift.tt/3sMSwlH