D's and F's
Algebra 1 - 55% (have D's and F's)
Geometry (Regular) - 65% (have D's and F's)
Geometry 9 - 15% (have D's and F's and four out of the five scores included were high D's)
Note: the Geometry 9 and Geometry Regular curriculum is identical.
After talking to two other teachers who's Regular Geoemetry grade breakdown is the same as mine...
I'm stuck. How do you bring the kids who are in regular Geometry up to standard? I'm not even talking about getting them to where my Geometry 9 students are. I have to make the tests soooo easy so that my Regular Geometry classes can get a 60% average, while on that same test, my Geometry 9 students had a 88% average. When my Geometry 9's get a 75% average, my Regular Geometry class averages are usually between 45% and 55%.
I don't understand what must be done. I feel so stuck.
This also begs the question to those proposing merit based pay: How do you measure teacher "merit"? Same teacher, different students, widely varying results. By most objective/measurable standards (including STAR Testing) I am failing miserably. If I taught only Geometry 9's, I'd be a superstar though.
There are definitely days when I wish I only taught Geometry 9, or Honors. A year and a half ago, I wanted to teach Algebra 1. I thought maybe one day I'd even teach Block, repeaters, or EL. Now I'm not so sure. It's just so hard to see kids falling through the cracks left and right and to not be good enough to catch 55-65% of them. And to wonder if I'll ever be "good enough" or if I even have any control over what happens...
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2 comments:
Sadly, I think the answer is that while you do have a modicum of control, for the most part it's just out of your hands. Despite those movies about teachers who somehow manage to inspire the desire to learn in students who were never inclined to care before....those are just idealistic movies. Let's face it, the most fresh-faced, naive, idealists are the ones who strike out into the inner cities feeling like they're going to make a difference. What happens? Usually they quit within two years. My theory is that that's about as long as it takes to realize as hard as you try kids who have been raised in a culture where "school is not cool" aren't ever going to suddenly see the value in it. And even if they do at some point down the road, what are you as a high school math teacher supposed to do? Go back and teach them the fundamentals they never learned properly in sixth grade? (Like fractions). All that said, I give you tons of respect for still caring and trying. You are a great teacher and I think you just can't question yourself so much.
Oh boy, I know what you mean. I used to have my 9th graders doing some crazy 10 step proofs while about 80% of my 11th/12th graders couldnt use a protractor properly.
You have to differentiate. Don't water down your 9th grade curriculum because those will be the ones who might pursue something in math, the ones who enjoy challenges.
For your 11th and 12th graders, just teach them the basics and understand that math is not their strong suit...
As for testing, rar. As much as I do wish there was a way to officially coin a teacher BAD, it cant be through testing. We should do evals like in colleges?
Fight the good fight Candace. I do believe we can make a difference actually.
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