Problem of Practice (POP) #2--Family or Community Engagement
Why do we love the students who are the poster children for why teachers want to pull their hair out at the end of the school day? My problem of practice is a brilliant and funny 11 th grader who wants nothing to do with schoolwork or participating in the daily rigor of school. This student comes to my class every day (which I can’t say the same for his other classes) but has not done a single full assignment all semester. I appreciate that he feels welcome in my classroom and respects me enough to manage his behavior but the real question is how will he pass health; which is a needed requirement for graduation next year. I’ve tried shortening the assignments and having him finish chunks at a time each day. I have also paired him with a midlevel student so he could have someone to work alongside. Both of these interventions were helpful but couldn’t keep him motivated for longer than a week or two. Part of his disconnect I feel stems from the fact that he already...