The Struggle Is Real

     As I age, students "perspective" on education seems to be wearing me down.  It seems as though many students (and perhaps their parents) view their high school education as an inconvenience.  Their education is something that is an obstacle to doing all the other more important parts of their lives - extra-curricular activities, their part-time jobs, their social lives, their favorite TicToc celebrities, their video games, etc...  There just isn't time or interest to fit their education into their lives.
     We have been working on a research paper for about a week.  Students legitimately should be completed with a rough draft by tonight.  And since yesterday, I'm including a private comment in their Google Classroom account to record what has been accomplished so far.  A couple of students already have their rough drafts completed, so now I can review their work and offer suggestions to help them improve their work.  More importantly, I can review their work and warn them of potential plagiarism violations.
     Today, my first period students were required to complete the Illinois Science Assessment, so they weren't in class.  Keep in mind, I've been telling the students that this requirement was going to be occurring today for over a week.  They were going to miss first period English III today, but that wasn't going to change the due date of the research paper - it's still due on Friday.
     While the students were completing the science assessment, I checked over the first period research paper, and since first period yesterday, many students had not even revisited their research papers at all.  So in their private comments, I supplied a message - something like, "draft only partially completed".  I had one student reply to my comment with the following statement. 

how do you expect me to have a draft done when i’m not in class?

     And therein is the struggle.  Apparently this student thinks that the only time to complete any work on this research paper is when she's in class.  And if class isn't held, then there isn't any other opportunity to work on the paper.  So in her world, English III only exists from 8:10 a.m. - 9:05 a.m. on days when she is present on scheduled days at school.  There isn't even an iota of a thought of, "Hey, I don't have first period tomorrow, so in order to keep pace with what I need to complete for the research paper to be done by Friday, I need to spend some time OUTSIDE OF CLASS on the research paper to be up-to-speed.
     And this "perspective" exists in a world where it's NEVER BEEN SIMPLER to complete a research paper in the history of mankind, even for the most reluctant student.  There are works cited generators, sample MLA papers, YouTube videos, Google Docs, real-time comments from teachers, access to frequently asked questions, a Google Classroom designed specifically for students to help each other with sources, and on and on and on.  The only thing that is really needed is for students to be willing to spend time with the assignment.
     And there's the struggle...time is a rare commodity because education seems to get to be a lower and lower priority.  Education is just too inconvenient anymore. The only time students can fit in an opportunity to work on an assignment is the designated class period that they are forced to attend.  Anything more expected than that is just unreasonable and ridiculous.  When I retire, I won't miss this struggle.  I won't miss the real struggle of how a high school education is so inconvenient these days.

The Coronavirus Arrives

It's here...and in fact, what likely is this case is that it has been here for awhile.  I wouldn't doubt if the dang little bug has even been local rather than just on the west coast and here and there in a variety of places throughout the U.S.  It's unnerving, but the science is suggesting that combatting the the new coronavirus is pretty similar to battling the flu.

I'm not doctor, but it appears that some people struggle to fight it off, which leads to pneumonia, which then can be fatal.  And it appears that this situation normally occurs with senior citizens that already have other health issues.

So while the stock market is going crazy, and the politics of the dang thing run wild, it seems like common sense should prevail.  All people need to work to keep themselves and others as healthy as possible. 

Christmas Music For A Calm, Positive Mind

It's March 1, and I still see some snow here and there even though the temperatures are suppose to be near 60 degrees today.  And yet, I uttered the lines, "Alexa, play Christmas music."  I may or may not have shared before how I enjoy church service (even if I don't make it today) because, that's a place and an hour of my life that surrounds me with positive messages and feelings.  Well, for me, Christmas music does the same thing, even if it's March 1st, July 1st, or September 1st.  When I ask Alexa to play Christmas music, I can sing a long to a positive little ditty and think of the positive atmosphere of the holiday season.  I can't help but feel lifted. 

So I worked to put some clothes away, worked to put some officiating stuff in storage (at least for a couple of weeks between basketball and softball seasons), and am now jotting down these thoughts in this blogs with a little toe-tapping, spirit-lifting Christmas music.  And why not? 

So my Christmas in March wish for you is to give yourself a little time now and then to play some Christmas music and just feel better!