Those who have read other posts on this blog know that I am the advisor for the LGBTQ+ group at my school. We had a meeting earlier this week, and our president shared one of her favorite slam poems with us. It’s entitled “Dear Straight People“, and I wanted to share it with you. Did I mention I love slam poetry?
I come across students every year that I refer to (at least to myself) as “point mongers”. These are the students who, upon receiving an assignment, always ask questions like “is this worth points?” and “How many points is this worth?”
On one hand, it’s important that students know how they are being assessed, but I really hate getting these questions. I get them mostly from younger students, 9th and 10 grade.
These questions are like traps for teachers. If you say no, they follow up with “then why should I do it?” What I want to say to that is – “Oh, I don’t know, maybe to LEARN something… I’m pretty sure that’s the point of coming to school, isn’t it?” I am very sarcastic in my head, but of course I can’t say this to the student. Instead I tell them that it helps them retain the information better and they will have something to study when the test comes. This response does not always work because so many students are only concerned with collecting points so they can get their “A” that they don’t care whether they actually learn something.
If I say that yes, it is worth points, the followup question becomes “how many?” It’s as if they are trying to decide if the amount of points it will get them is worth their time and effort to actually do it. Sometimes, if they find out after not completing a homework assignment that it’s worth a lot of points, or any points at all, they will resort to copying just so they can get their points.
I think the root cause of this problem is the short-sightedness of so many students. They don’t see how a lack of effort now will affect them later. They just need a grade that is ‘good enough’ to keep their parents off their back, or to stay eligible for their sport. If they thought about the long-term a little more often (or at all) they might see that they will be better off putting the work in now instead of always trying to find the short-cut.
I teach a lesson on goals in my personal finance class where I touch on types of motivation. I try to explain the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, including that while extrinsic motivation (grades, money) may be fairly effective in the short run, it is intrinsic motivation (pride in oneself and one’s work, inner purpose) that results in true, long-term success. I tell them that those students who are here to learn something for their future will get a good grade anyway, more or less as a byproduct of their honest efforts, but that those that are just here for a good grade will not necessarily learn as much, and aren’t even guaranteed to get an A. I think at least some of my students seem to understand after this lesson, but alas, I cannot reach them all, especially if they are not receptive to my message.
Sometimes teachers hide things within their lessons or worksheets. These things can be trivial, like the name of a character on their favourite show, as my old accounting teacher used to do. She was a fan of a soap opera called “The Young and the Restless”. I was probably one of the few students who caught on because I watched it sometimes with my grandma. Other times, however, these hidden details can have a deeper meaning, a lesson if you will.
I indulged in a silent chuckle for something I put into the tax cases that I give my personal finance students every year. I give them the W2’s for different people and they have to fill out a 1040EZ. For the married filing jointly case, I wrote the numbers in so that the wife made more money than the husband. No student has commented on this, but I’m hoping they notice, at least sub-consciously. I patted myself on the back for my subtle feminism.
Another incident when earning power between the genders came into play was when I was discussing the different forms of income. I talked about earned vs unearned as well as nontaxable. I asked if anyone knew what alimony was. The boy who raised his hand said it was when a couple got divorced and the husband had to pay the wife to support her afterwards. I corrected him and said “OR, the other way around, depending on the situation.” He said “oh, yeah, I guess that could be too” – his facial expression indicated that he had never considered that situation but he just realized he should have.
I’m hoping these little things will help this generation to not accept it as the norm that men make more money than women.
I found a stress relief idea on Pinterest and decided to try it because we had some bubble wrap lying around. I printed out instructions on bright pink paper and then stapled them to some bubble wrap. I got this tin for Christmas and thought it was a perfect container.
Midterms started on Friday and continue for all of this upcoming week, so I put it out on my desk on Thursday. I’ve had several appreciative students take one, and then upon reading the instructions exclaim “only 3 pops per hour!?”
confessions of a twenty-something teacher 
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