Only five students came to class today with rough drafts even though that was the ONE thing they had to prepare for today's class. Each of the other students began to yammer about not understanding the assignment, hating one of the books, not knowing what to do. I very quietly wrote on the board in my biggest handwriting WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? Then I gave them a talk about how they will never learn to do anything if they simply balk in fear and confusion and refuse to try. At the break I spoke with one errant student who seemed to be coming around. He had no quotations from the Lopez book but had good ones from Mathieu's book. I explained that I could not help him if he had not even done the preliminary job of finding the quotations. While the five who had their rough drafts worked on their peer reviews, I worked with the other empty handed students. The one without the Lopez quotations said he realized that he had to get his feet wet and just begin to write it. I urged him to get completely into the water before he complained about anything. We laughed and I reminded the group that I had this blog and that I'd put up a photo of myself riding a tricycle to try to make the point that even if they felt they were riding tricycles, they HAD TO RIDE in order to get anywhere.
Two students continue to leave class early for doctor's appointments; needless to say, neither of them spoke up during class or brought rough drafts. I wonder - really wonder - how students can come to class unprepared and expect anything but failure. Have they never learned accountability? Where have we failed our citizens?
Steve Lopez is going to be at school on Thursday, and I am hoping that as many students who can possibly come from this class will come; it would be so useful for them to meet and hear the writer of one of their books.
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