Keeping Track

One of the most challenging aspects of teaching this particular class has been keeping track of which kids are out for which activities or meetings during the day, then trying to catch them up on what they missed, or hold them accountable for work they forget or neglect to turn in the next day.

You get the ESL/Language assistance group that returns when the social studies/science period is half-over. You have the band kids, the string kids, kids with lessons and kids that visit the school counselor for one-on-one sessions, kids that go out for speech therapy, others for special help.

Deciding on how to keep track of kids is one thing. A second is reminding them to remember their responsibilities, a third thing is keeping track of what you assign, a fourth whether or not they have fulfilled their responsibilities and a fifth, what you’re going to do about it when they don’t follow through!I had a conversation with my co-op today about these things.

She has been keeping track for me because I was struggling to do that and still teach at the same time. I can’t interrupt the flow of instruction to deal with the band kids who were leaving and coming back half way through one lesson and returning during another one.Then you have the kids that are going on vacation during the middle of the school year, for an entire week, and they want their work in advance. That’s my favorite. Remember when we took vacation in the summer?

Now kids go on entire vacations during the school year, and they are somehow allowed to do this. Whatever happened to keeping your kids in school so they can learn?Pulling them out only makes things worse. They miss all that instructional time and then they have work they need to make up…work that can’t be done on the road. What’s a kid to do when they miss math for a week and one concept builds on the next? How do you make that up? You don't.