Update

I haven't really written much in my journal this week, so I haven't had much to add on here. I've been busy! I actually had basically full control yesterday and I will again tomorrow. They're B-Days, so I taught Pre-Calculus and Advanced Algebra. With back to back to back classes, it was pretty stressful. Everything went well though. I had no discipline problems and it seemed for the most part that the classes were engaged int he lesson. I had timing problems -- namely, I ran out of it -- but the lesson got taught. Who knew with 90 minutes I'd run out of time?

I have a really good feeling about some of these kids. It's funny though because I used to assume that if a student was disruptive in clas that their grades probably weren't so great, and vice versa. Not true. I have disruptive kids getting A's and B's. I have disruptive kids failing. I also have non-disruptive kids failing and non-disruptive kids with A's and B's. I was previously in the frame of mind that if I engage the disruptive kids then I'm good to go. Generally though, my kids that talk out during class are mostly on task. So really, I need to work to draw in the silently unengaged that I have maybe looked over in the past.

I have these kids with no faith in their math abilities. I hear kids tell me, "I'm just not good at math" as their excuse for not even starting their homework. Lame. I've heard this too many times over the years. I understand there is a math learning disability, but these kids don't have it. Probably somewhere along the way they were shown by their parents or teachers that "I'm just not good at math" was a valid excuse. I never hear anyone say "I'm just not good at English." Maybe reading or grammar, but nobody lumps it into a whole subject and deems it a legitimate statement. I'm already tired of dealing with the stigma attached to math. I just want to say to them, "First, that's not true. Second, that is absolutely no excuse for not trying. Being slow at math is not the same as being bad at it. So don't just give up and depend on that excuse to make it through life. Put a little effor tinto it!" I think I need a plan to get to those kids. Help?