When I was observing a high school class on Wednesday, one of my CT's students asked her a very interesting question. The CT had just gotten through informing the students that they would be doing some required reading outside of the classroom so that they could finish reading Hamlet by Shakespeare by a specific date. This would allow them, since this class was filled with junior students on the honor's track, to be able to discuss the play at length instead of reading a little in class talking about then reading a little more and stopping and talking about that. The class was set up almost like a lower level English college class on Shakespeare.
Now most of the students did not have a problem with this until one student realized what was happening this weekend. Up goes his hand to ask: "I don't want to sound like I am trying to be lazy or not do my work, but well...." A long pause then "are we going to have any major homework over the weekend? Because well there is the Super Bowl-" And this small question set off a series of discussions and more questions from the other students. Some of the students started to make an argument about why they should be allowed to have the weekend free.
My question then to someone else is this: When such a thing occurs in the classroom (students wanting to know if they will be able to watch or participate in a big event vs. having to do homework instead of doing the event) what is the best way to go about handling something like that? You must keep in mind that you still have to maintain the curriculum schedule that has been set up, but for the older students I think that it is also important to keep in mind that such events will not be avoided by your students just to get their homework done. What do you guys think? My CT's solution at least right at that moment was to say we will have to wait and see, and she was able to draw the class back to the play and its discussion.
Jennifer Gartman
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2 comments:
Hmmmm....
I think one thing that we consistently do is to assume that high school students aren't living in the real world and that their time for study and homework is unlimited. This is fairly unrealistic I think.
I don't know about all of you but when I was in HS I worked 30 hours a week and did participate in extra curriculars. There was also time that I needed and honestly was required to spend with my family engaging in family activities.
So, I guess where I'm going with this is...at work we have deadlines, even if someone else sets them, I'm not really sure that many bosses really get to come in and say I need you to work Saturday and Sunday on a regular basis and realistically not over holidays (yes I'm contending that the Superbowl like the Running of the Bulls is analogous to a holiday in this country). And if they do ask their employees to do this they either have to give them comp time or pay them overtime.
I think we can certainly ask our students to read and do homework but we need to realize that they are REAL people that have REAL schedules and many competing classes, activities, work and family. I guess I would try to strike a compromise with them but know what my final assignment of them was going to be and only compromise that far, otherwise, I think you are setting them up for failure.
I'm a little torn on the Super Bowl complaint. I know it's a big deal, but at the very most it lasts 5 hours. There are a lot of other hours in the weekend. This is one of those excuses I don't deal with especially well--and I DO enjoy sports. I know our students are super busy and have responsibilities outside school, but education is a priority for them. How many of them would tell their boss they would have to take lots of breaks because they need to watch the Super Bowl in the breakroom?
This also brings up another issue in terms of planning. When you are working on your lesson plans, it's usually a good idea to keep a school calendar nearby. If you see a big event that you know will involve lots of students, try to adjust your plans so you are not assigning homework over that day/weekend. And, we all know the importance of being flexible. If your school's basketball team makes it to the state tournament, you may need to give some extensions on assignments.
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