The students are gone, and we’re just grading Regents. For some reason the grading on this year’s Global is really harsh, and out of 70 kids taking the test we only have 5 in range to pass after scoring the multiple choice questions. Last year only one student passed in January. I don’t know what we’re going to tell our seniors who have taken it 6 times and still aren’t on the road to passing.
One of my co-workers just looked at another teacher’s notebook and said “What is that? Is it a teaching journal?” and everyone laughed. “Sometimes I wish I could do that; I wish I could reflect on teaching and take something more away from it than just anger or frustration.”
I was very quiet, because that’s sort of why I’m blogging here. Some of it is for my records; some of it is to get help from other teachers, or UFT members, who know more than I do. But a lot of it is just to think about what I did today, and what I want to remember tomorrow.
Teaching (smarter) 
If the kids are failing, it must be your fault. Their home lives, their cutting habits, their failure to stay awake or study or do homework, the overcrowded classes, the decrepit facilities, and the lack of consequences for their actions, however outrageous they may be are neither here nor there.
Deputy Chancellor Alonso has stated unequivocally that the only variable is the teacher, and you know he couldn’t say it if it weren’t true. There are laws against that sort of thing.
Aren’t there?
I do love the idea that this one test will keep some of my students from ever, ever graduating, no matter how hard they work or how hard they try, because this one multiple choice question about the location of Timbuktu — no joke — stymied them. If you can’t write two essays and answer 35 multiple choice questions correctly in 3 hours, you are not fit to be considered an adult. Back in your box!
God knows prepping for the test is how I want to spend my time teaching.
Is Global what’s holding them up? In most schools a kid without the Global Regents is usually missing a couple more Regents and a bunch of credits as well.
Also remember, those 70 kids, each one of them is taking it for, what, the 3rd? 4th? time? That any passed is a credit to their teacher. (and is your counselor fully up-to-date on the minimum score needed to graduate? The last time I read (aaarggghhh!) part 100, a 55 did it for one type of diploma. It’s worth looking into.
Jonathan