Laying down the law

My 4th grade mini-class just had the best test of their lives. I'm so proud of them.

At the same time, half of them are not doing their homework. A large part of the job of 4th and 5th grade teachers is to prepare kids for success in the future (ie. middle school, high school, etc.). I take that job seriously.

My kids are graded on homework AND test results. So, I explained to kids the way that grading works. And, showed them what happens to your grade when you don't do your homework.

When we take a test, they have to correct their test and turn it in again if they get below an 80. I added a new twist -- dentention if they don't bring their corrections in tomorrow. If they forget the test altogether . . . they have to redo it and take whatever grade they get on it the 2nd time.

Merry Christmas from Mindful Teacher!

I think they got it. Now if I could only give the same lecture to their parents.

Making a difference

I think it's really too early to tell but my 4th grade students took a test yesterday on multiplication. It wasn't a hard test by any means but it was really exciting for me because they all did well. I had all As, Bs, and Cs. No Ds or {ahem} below Ds. This is the third test they've taken and this is the first time I've seen this result.

Why?

Well, it's a small class. 10 students. I have a volunteer aide who helps in the class. I am able to monitor the student's behavior closely so that they are accountable. They can't hide, daydream, doodle, do other work, read, eat, etc. They have to pay attention. I also modify their tests -- not a lot -- this time I simply gave them visual clues as to what they were to do.

I honestly think the behavior/accountability piece is the biggest and most important piece.

Regardless, I'm so proud of these kids and of the difference we are apparantly making. It won't be easy -- I know there will be times when we seem to fall backwards but we are making a difference and it's a good thing! HURRAH!