Tonight Julia (my housemate) and I did our usual. We sit at either end of our dining room table and grade/plan. Tonight we were both grading our first round of tests. We would swap cheers and sighs as we went from paper to paper. We would let out a big “YAY” when we graded a good paper, and groan when someone did really poorly. (There were mostly groans...). Or we would share predictions for several students. “Oh good. I’m excited! This is one of my best students!” or “Oh no....This guy probably did horribly. I don’t think he understands most of what I say!”
My first round of tests were good learning experiences. Most of my kids did pretty poorly (20/50), yet I had several in each class that made A’s. It was heart breaking to give scores of (3/50) - especially when I know that the kid tries. Monday (August 31) was a hard day. I gave the first test to my 3rd period class, and they really pushed my buttons. I gave the students an assignment for after the test, so they would all have something to quietly work on when they finished. I also clearly explained that any talking whatsoever would result in a zero. The students, however, were not in the mood for quiet. I had to rip up 4 tests for talking/cheating students. [In Samoa cheating is prevalent for several reasons: (1) many teachers don’t pay attention and even notice or care (2) it’s a communal society- students want to help each other out.] Aside from cheating, students did not want to stay quiet after they turned in their tests. Because there is such a wide range of abilities, there was a 40 minute gap between the first and last student finishing. The class was a constant battle, and I even had to send 2 students to the office. One of the kids refused to take his test. When I spoke to him he wouldn’t look at me or acknowledge my presence. I went back to my desk to write up a referral. When I brought it back he was drawing his neighborhood/gang symbol on the back of my class set and shoved it in my face before making a big scene as I sent him out of my room. Oh the joys that go along with teaching!
As a result of my 3rd periods disrespect, we “practiced” sitting in silence for the 15 minutes of remaining class time, and then they practiced for 15 minutes after the school dismissal bell rang. Needless to say they were mad, but after a 45 minute lesson and activities on “Respect” the following day I think they will be much better. On Friday when anyone starting talking while I was teaching, the other kids starting yelling “Respect! Respect!” So at least I’m starting to make some progress with them.
The roller coaster of my third period led me to have a my first school related cry session of the year. I was so upset at how disrespectful some of the students were acting, but also so sad at how poorly I knew some of the students were performing. I am definitely having different types of assessments for the various types of learners, but, at some point, I do have to assess my kids with formal assessments. Tests are part of the educational process, and they have to develop test taking skills. As I walked around the room monitoring and answering questions, I knew a couple just couldn’t handle it. 4 kids barely answers one question, and just stared at their tests for 50 minutes with no clue what to do. I think it is a combination of poor/undeveloped reading, writing, listening, and English skills accompanied by the fear of test taking that lead them to perform so poorly. One kid just laid his head on the desk, and when I asked him to start working he replied, “Ms. Jessie, I just realized....I don’t know anything!” -heartbreaking- It’s a struggle to get through to many of the students especially when teaching the abstract principles and ideas of design. I thought after two solid days of reviewing in many different way that every type of learner would be properly prepared, but some of them were just too overwhelmed/unprepared. A majority of students refuse to do homework or study (even if they know it will hurt their grade). With a lack of self motivation, they fight a losing battle with their education. For me, it’s an emotional struggle to see these kids fail time and time again.....especially when some try so hard.
Now that we are out of the first several weeks of school, the kids want to test me to see how much they can get away with. It leads me to see many contradiction present in the Samoan society. (Of course there are hypocrisies in every culture/country, but I’m just becoming aware of them here.) It’s interesting how “respect” comes into play here in Samoa. Having respect for and showing respect on behalf of your elders, family, village, and country is everything, yet in the school kid’s often show no respect for teachers (who are traditionally very highly regarded).
Anyway, here are a few lines from my 3rd period’s “respect essays.” They provide great insight into part of the Samoan culture.
- “In Samoa respect is everything. Without it people will hate you.”
- “Respect is the most important thing in the world.”
- “Respect your teacher, and she will respect you back.”
- “Respect is everything in Samoa. If you respect people they will be kind to you, love you, and help you through difficulties. If you don’t show respect no one will care about you.”
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