How do I motivate high school kids?

[ancientone51]

As some of you know, I teach high school. My classes have all 4 grades mixed in and all levels of students. It is a required one semester class.

They do not do the work. Three home work assignments in the last couple of weeks, some did NONE.

Have a folder/notebook and take notes, some never have anything...and not just because of socio-eco reasons.

We are a small town (TX upper level 4A) applied Title 1, group of kids. We have some fairly well to do to those a step away from homeless. Good families to everyone else is in jail. Kids of professionals with lots of education to the first one with a hope of graduating high school. Some who can't wait to leave.

They have no imagination/dreams or have life plan in stone.
(I even have one this semester who plans to rule the world!?)

My job is on the line because too many kids fail my class. But too many have too many "work not done" for too many assignments.

I started the year of this year with the interview question, "Where will you be in five years?" and explained Seniors will be a year out of college if that is their plan and Freshmen will be going into sophomore year in college or second year of work.

Any help greatly appreciated. If you need more info, please, ask. I didn't want to make this too long a post.

I am at my wits end. 23 years of experience and I am lost, but not ready to give up.

 

[John Picard]

What subject(s) do you teach?

 

[Jetfire]

Money.

 

[SmoothieX]

How do I reech these keeeds?

 

[ancientone51]

It's called Communication Applications (Speech) class and is meant to give them the skills to communicate in the real world. We cover listening, non verbal, job interview etc

 

[Luckyflux]

Yeah, kids aren't motivated to do school work. I am learning that the hardway with my GF's 8 year old boy. He is smart, but just doesn't want to apply it towards homework, and I can't really blame him, as I was like that too.

So what to do? Failing them for not doing the required work is fair enough, but if your job is on the line because of it, then that is a tricky situation. What do your peers do about it?

What about giving them a D-? It will technically pass them, but still show they applied zero effort. Win-win?

Can you give them an I, for incomplete? What are the ramifications of an incomplete versus a failure?

 

[ancientone51]

Incompletes need to be cleared up within a week of the end of a grading period...I had three kids not come in to take a test they missed and they could have pulle dit out even with a lousy test grade.

yeah, I can probablu wiggle the grades and get them a 70, but what am I teaching and what am I doing to my ethics...a Ch 2 vocab. word?

One GRADE school teacher I was in a conference with this summer sid "pass 'em."

But then they get out in the real world and expect to get the same kind of treatment and we spend pages griping about the lack of personal responsibility.

It seems to be a fail-fail situation.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

If your peers are just passing them, honestly, what else can you do? Is it worth throwing your job away over kids who really don't give a fuck?

I'm genuinely shocked you've been a teacher this long and still feel idealistic about it.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

I'm genuinely shocked you've been a teacher this long and still feel idealistic about it.

I'm actually encouraged by that. It tells me that the system hasn't beaten everybody down and she's not marking time just to hit her total of 80 so that she can draw a full pension.

After 23 years I'm glad there's still a spark left and wish there were more teachers like that.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

They have no imagination/dreams or have life plan in stone.
(I even have one this semester who plans to rule the world!?)

Kill him now! He could be the next Hitler! Or Napoleon! Or Bush!

Look it's a small Texas town, all they care about is football. So give them assignments related to that.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I'm genuinely shocked you've been a teacher this long and still feel idealistic about it.

I'm actually encouraged by that. It tells me that the system hasn't beaten everybody down and she's not marking time just to hit her total of 80 so that she can draw a full pension.

After 23 years I'm glad there's still a spark left and wish there were more teachers like that.

I don't think it's a bad thing to be idealistic, it just seems like she's fighting a losing battle. The kids don't care, and there's no way to force them to. But if you fail them, you lose your job. There really is no "win" here except to let teachers pass and fail students on their own merits, without fear of retribution.

 

[mimic]

I would document that you are giving them many opportunities to make up the work/alternative assignments and then give them whatever grade they earn. If the administration comes crying pull out your evidence that they had many chances.

Do they do in-class assignments?

 

[Lindley]

It's called Communication Applications (Speech) class and is meant to give them the skills to communicate in the real world. We cover listening, non verbal, job interview etc

Then you've got a really tough job. I made a real effort to get all my work done in high school, and even *I* was bored stiff by my Speech class.

You might consider asking them to each come up with a stand-up comedy routine. Everyone likes that, and the ability to be funny is a valuable communication skill....

 

[Garak]

Fire usually does the trick.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Some kids simply refuse to learn. ancientone51, have you explained the situation to your superiors?

 

[John Picard]

Some kids simply refuse to learn. ancientone51, have you explained the situation to your superiors?

It's the Public Education system. A complete and utter failure. Superiors won't listen, because if kids were failed the irate parents would be whining that the evil, mean teacher is picking on the child.

If (all) parents had to pay to send their children to school, and by that I mean write out a check every month rather than the money coming out of property taxes, you can be certain the teacher wouldn't have to try to motivate the students.

 

[thestrangequark]

^I don't think that's necessarily the answer. There are plenty of unmotivated kids in private schools. The issue is cultural -- America just does not foster a positive attitude towards eduction. Teachers are not respected as professionals by the society. I was talking just the other day to a man who told me that in his country teachers are highly respected as people who sacrifice whatever they could do to give to future generations. He sad that there simply isn't the kind of misbehavior in schools there as there is here.

Anyway, I don't know much about motivating high schoolers, as I teach K-2. Have you tried making the material more personal to them? Have you tried tuning into their interests? What about alternative teaching methods, like role-playing, or bringing other art forms into the classroom?

 

[Amaris]

As some of you know, I teach high school. My classes have all 4 grades mixed in and all levels of students. It is a required one semester class.

They do not do the work. Three home work assignments in the last couple of weeks, some did NONE.

Have a folder/notebook and take notes, some never have anything...and not just because of socio-eco reasons.

We are a small town (TX upper level 4A) applied Title 1, group of kids. We have some fairly well to do to those a step away from homeless. Good families to everyone else is in jail. Kids of professionals with lots of education to the first one with a hope of graduating high school. Some who can't wait to leave.

They have no imagination/dreams or have life plan in stone.
(I even have one this semester who plans to rule the world!?)

My job is on the line because too many kids fail my class. But too many have too many "work not done" for too many assignments.

I started the year of this year with the interview question, "Where will you be in five years?" and explained Seniors will be a year out of college if that is their plan and Freshmen will be going into sophomore year in college or second year of work.

Any help greatly appreciated. If you need more info, please, ask. I didn't want to make this too long a post.

I am at my wits end. 23 years of experience and I am lost, but not ready to give up.

Give them all failing grades.
Tell them that if they want to pass, they'll have to work for it.

As a former high school student who was usually in classes filled with these kind of kids, they already assume you're going to pass them simply because you won't want to deal with them. One year, our class went through 4 Biology teachers before they found one who failed the entire class and we had to work to get our grades up. It worked.

J.

 

[sidious618]

If (all) parents had to pay to send their children to school, and by that I mean write out a check every month rather than the money coming out of property taxes, you can be certain the teacher wouldn't have to try to motivate the students.

That's incredibly far from the truth.

 

[Mr. B]

As a former high school student who was usually in classes filled with these kind of kids, they already assume you're going to pass them simply because you won't want to deal with them.

I saw the same thing in school. Perhaps students will rise to the level of expectations.