My Principal Is REALLY Good!

In an effort to keep the numbers of students failing to a minimum, my principal printed (or had printed out) a listing of all students failing each teacher's class. So, I got a list of the students who are failing my class. There are actually more than ever before. Students do receive consideration during the first half of the semester. You want them to be able to pass after averaging in the second nine weeks. So, in an effort to forward this, in each of the classes I teach, I offered extra work that could replace up to six daily grades or three together could take the place of a test. This, along with being available before school at 7:30 a.m. and after school until 4:00 p.m. most days, in addition to the hour-and-a-half in class, SHOULD be enough WHEN THE STUDENT IS DOING HIS/HER PART. This is the key problem for my failing students. Miraculous, when you don't do homework, you don't know what is going on.

Okay, I went a little nuts on that topic. Anyway, I fired off an e-mail telling him what I have been doing. He came to see me during my planning block. I told him in the e-mail that I didn't mean to be hostile, but that I was open to any suggestions he had. He said that he knew I wasn't being hostile and that he expected nothing but something straight forward from me. This made me feel so good. He said that he wanted to make sure that we knew how many people were failing and what could be done to help each help him/herself. How nice is it to work with an administrator who has not lost the power of logic?!? Logic is something the higher up the proverbial chain you get, the less you seem to exhibit. Wow, am I lucky or what?!?

I've gotta go work on a sheet for my kids to fill out tomorrow to formulate an action plan for this nine weeks. Wish me and my students success!!!!