Ramblings of a GWP Teacher Consultant...how goes it? by Julie Ertmann

It’s near the end of October and more than half-way through the semester and so far I can say the project I developed this summer in GWP is working great, for me.  I decided to use science notebooks to record the student’s journaling, notes, and science experiments.  This way I can better emphasize writing and reward effort.  Using this method, my students are only assessed on what they write in their notebooks each day.   My hope was that just writing more would increase their ability to feel confident and increase their stamina.  I think that they are becoming better writers and more confident at “guessing” and taking risks with their answers.  Even students with severe disabilities are showing success with this emphasis on classwork writing.

I also implemented a layered curriculum this year.  With this new method, there is no homework.  My students have a terrible track record with homework so it wasn’t a meaningful way to deliver content and it just hurt their grades when I tried to hold them accountable for doing it.  However, the highest grade you can earn on classwork from your notebook is a C...a 79% to be exact.  Each unit there are additional “layer assignments”, called Layer B and Layer A.  If you choose to do the Layer assignments, these add an additional 10% each to your notebook score (thus raising a C to a B, or a B to an A).  The intent is probably obvious in that it puts the control over a student’s grade in their hands and allows flexibility from traditional daily homework to more project based assignments so students have more control over how and when they accomplish them.  In addition, during the unit a student is only assessed at the end and has the ability to revise, edit or add to their notebook entries at ANY time.  To determine the final grade, this notebook grade is average with the unit test grade to determine a student’s achievement level.  They can also retake the unit test to raise their grade if they are not happy with their first test score (the two scores are averaged together).  The best part of this new method for me is that I have reduced my grading tremendously and made their learning more authentic.  I was also hoping to positively affect my students’ grades and the passing rate.

So far my project is not working so great for my students.  There is no extra credit, there is no “make-up work” or as one of my colleague calls it, “instead-of credit”.  All that you have to do to be successful in this class is come each day and write stuff down in your notebook.  Who knew how high this bar would seem to be this year!  Even if a student is absent, doesn’t use time wisely or for some reason doesn’t finish in the time provided, all of the work we are doing is posted in Google Classroom and is updated daily.  So why are they struggling?  

1. Phones.  They are so distracted by their phones.  Much of class time is wasted by the students on electronic devices.  During class I’ve seen and heard them on actual calls, playing pool, playing uno, on snapchat, playing madden or other games, on youtube, and of course, texting.  They also listen to music and don’t listen to me.
2. Following directions.  My students often don’t read directions or fail to follow them.  This makes them not answer all parts of a question, for example, or complete things incorrectly.
3. Absences/Tardies.  Tardies make students miss the first part of instruction and they often interrupt as they enter and are very needy to get help to figure out where they should be causing a delay for all.  Absences are difficult to manage as well.  Although encouraged and asked to come after school many students fail to come or are unable to come.
4. Poor test scores.  My students do not study.  As soon as they begin the test many start to say, “when is the retake, cause I don’t know this”.

On top of these struggles, many of my students have disruptive behaviors.  They touch each other when they shouldn’t, make-fun of each other, use profanity, don’t remain in their seats, don’t bring a writing utensil and argue when asked to comply with my classroom procedures.  They leave to use the restroom or get water and are gone for too long, they get suspended and and transient.

After reading all of this you might wonder how I can go to work each day and struggle to teach at my school.

I do it because it matters.  It matters for some, and that is enough.  I have students that are respectful and are learning.  They are kind, generous, willing to try and they need my help.  Whenever I make a change in my classroom curriculum or other procedures thinking it will help my students’ academically it usually only has a marginal effect.  The only conclusion I can draw is that the way to really help my students to be successful is not something that I can change for them.  The issues keeping my students from success are not under my control, generally.  So whatever positive impact either personally or academically I can make on my student’s lives is important, valuable and immeasurable and can only be known by those who feel its force.  I keep working, believing, knowing it is there.