Every year starts with a promise of good things to come. A new batch of students, maturation of some of the students you may have had the previous year, and a brand new attitude. August is such a hopeful time of year. Then you hit the almost Halloween craziness. Everyone is getting tired of the routine and are really needing a break. This is when the dreaded I don’t really care about school virus starts to hit. Students who started out well enough begin to neglect assignments. They tune out reviews in class. All of this leads to frustration for the teacher. Contrary to some opinions, most teachers do not want their students to fail. This is certainly when the stress begins to build.

As a teacher, I sometimes feel that I care more than some of my students do about their education. If the students have involved family then it is more likely that you can correct the I don’t care mindset, but if the parents are not involved then you stand a pretty good chance of losing those students. I really try to encourage my students to do their best, but I can only beg, plead, and barter for them to do what they should already be doing for so long then it just becomes sad.

There have been many years where I get so frustrated with students who have the capability but fail to meet their potential. I have students with learning disabilities who try so hard and work to meet their highest potential. This is why I get frustrated. I see kids who are perfectly capable waste their education. This is one of the most anger inducing things that a teacher can deal with.

So , what can we do about this terrible phenomenon? The first thing to do is have a meeting with the student. Step two is to call the parents. Step three is to talk to the student’s counselor. If none of these things work, unfortunately, there is not much you can do. Sometimes students need to know that failure is real. In life when we don’t do what is necessary, then sometimes we must face the consequences of our actions.

In grade school often times the students will be promoted to the next grade regardless of whether they have a passing grade or not. This, in my opinion, sets the students up for failure. They may become apathetic and then when they truly need to do well they feel that they can just do little to nothing and still get rewarded. With a pretty big period of participation trophies, gentle parenting, and treating children like a friend, I am not sure how we didn’t see this coming.

To make matters worse, our technological advances have given people the ability to cheat, quite easily might I add. With Chat GPT , a paper can be written in a matter of minutes. The worst part is the students do not even see this as cheating. It is so difficult to impress upon them that doing the work themselves will benefit them. What can we do to keep school a place of learning and not just one where getting by with the use of writing platforms is the manner they use?

I have to admit that I do not have an answer. I have used Cat GPT just to see how it worked. I had it write a love letter in the style of Edgar Allan Poe. The result was quite good. I can certainly see the alure of this app. So, with the ease and quality of the writing it saves time and stress. Nevertheless, as a teacher I have to discourage the use of AI for homework. Along with smart phones, we are fighting a bit of a losing battle.

Do we accept the technology and allow the students to use it? Do we teach them to use it within a set of regulations? Do we continue to fight for organic learning? I do not know. What does the rest of the world think about AI in schools? I am interested to see where all this will take us.

To get back to the original topic about teachers caring more than students about grades and how to deal with it. I know that I will continue to encourage my students to put forth their best effort. I will still beg and plead, but I know that , in the end, it is not my choice to make. Yes, I am the teacher, but I have learned over the years that I cannot save them all. It was a harsh reality to face. I never like to see kids fail, but I cannot make them do what they do not wish to do. Failure is an option and I have to accept that I can want it for them, but they are the ones who have to make that final decision. It makes me sad, however, I need to focus on what I can do to help those that help themselves. As I grade the finals at the end of this week, I can hope for the best results, but I also have to be realistic and know that not everyone values education. A tough lesson, but a lesson nonetheless. My suggestion to my fellow educators is to continue to present lessons that stimulate thinking and let your students know that you are an ally. We cannot become apathetic or take up an attitude of negativity(it is difficult) and just keep doing your best to teach and hopefully you will reach those students. Keep your head up and “Just keep swimming, ” as Dory would say.

Until next time,

Cat