I could just strangle a few of the students in my class.  I am sick of their whining.  "I don't get it."  I don't want to think.  I don't want to read directions myself. I want you to tell me what to do again and again  and again.  By myself!  I don't want have to listen to directions with the class.  I am special.  You give me the answer so I don't have to think.  Apparantly thinking isn't their strong point.  In fact, I have been giving them the answers to Science and Social Studies tests all year and they haven't even taken the time to study those. These are needy children.  They have not been taught to be responsible for anything.  They must not be held accountable at home because they certainly aren't accountable here.

We just graded this weeks workbooks.  They were given extra time to work on them.  They were taught every single objective and over half of the class did not even complete the work.  Another teacher did a step-by-step research project with her class and in the end only 5 students turned in the final project. She cried.   Holy cow!  I used to stay up over half the night making sure my stuff was done on time when I was a kid.  It never occured to me NOT to do my work.

I am going to have to come up with an accountability system next year where I email the parents or something to let them know the days work. I would love to have my grades on line in that new program they have out.   Having assignment notebooks, sheets, etc.  doesn't work because they did not even take them home.  I find their report cards in their desks all the time.  Why aren't parents asking what happened to them?

Every year I try something  different to get them to do their work.  Even as few as 8 years ago, I had a majority of students who did their work on a consistent basis.  Now I don't.  I almost wish that they did all their work on line. 

I have a multitude of day dreamers too.  These are boys and a few girls who just sit and stare into space.  When called upon to get to work, they all say, "I was thinking."  Now, we know that just isn't true.  These kids have spent the entire year trying NOT to think.  What makes them think that I would believe they are doing that now?   I don't have windows for them to stare out of so they stare around the room.  Thinking is NOT going on.  AB has not put his pencil to the paper all year.  He is too busy "THINKING."  Thinking is waaaaay more important than writing after all.  If he could get all those thoughts on paper, he might actually have a story!