Almost Half Way

Semester exams are approaching. I can not imagine they are much different than university mid-terms.

One difference I do know is I am more confident in the performance of my students. Unlike at university, I have more direct contact with the students. Many university students attend willy-nilly.  For some, that pattern had little to no influence on their performance. For others, it had great impact. I never knew what to expect. Some surprised me (good and bad) and some were as expected.

In high school, students are required to attend every day with few exceptions. I know which are doing well and which are struggling. This is greatly helped by daily input from my students. Unlike university, AP classes mean “C” work at the worst (but you would be amazed at the havoc a “C” can raise). High school obsesses with GPA. I am not so sure that is a good thing. Yes, strive for your best performance but I believe striving for a GPA causes one to miss the point of education. They lose touch with many things. It becomes a problem when they start depriving themselves of other things like, social life, sleep, family life etc.  I only wish for them to be the best they can be. Sometimes, a “B” is enough.

What a balance I must keep assigning grades while ensuring work is accurately rated. I do not wish to be that teacher that demands perfection in all, above all. I have suffered from those teachers. I do identify small errors such as spelling and grammar, but I do not penalize for them (unless, of course, it is a spelling/grammar class such as in the Mandarin language class).

Since this is my first semester as a high school teacher, I am somewhat worried of students’ performance. I find myself once again worried of grade ratios. Grades are easy though. It is the AP scores that are more challenging. A grade effects their GPA. AP scores affect their future academic careers.

I believe we will spend the week preparing for the tests. They are intelligent students. I need not remind them of the importance of these tests.