Holidays - A Time to Recharge Our Batteries

I can finally breathe. Yes, teachers may get more vacation than other professions, but it is during vacation time that we can actually see friends and spend time with family. It is also often to used to grade papers, read up on current pedagogy, and clean out our emails (mine keeps claiming it is "full"; a teacher's email size should be unlimited!!).

Part of the need for downtime is because it seems that everything happens before a holiday. Last week I was scheduled to be out of the classroom three of the five days... Before a holiday! Two of the days were for necessary trainings, the third was a pathway planning day. I opted out of the third, feeling the need to be in my classroom and rescheduling the meeting for a day after school the week we come back for break. These meetings/trainings are important, but my students are more important. 

My students also need a break - tensions are high and sleep is needed by all. I know this is the case when I have to intervene in two near physical fights amongst students that would never do that in my class, purely out of respect for me.

I always have high hopes for breaks. Books to read, people to see, exercise to be done. I usually disappoint myself somehow, but in the end what matters is the time I get to recharge my batteries with loved ones. I will read that book someday, and I will, no doubt, exercise plenty when I get back in town. 

The Sad Reality of Alternative Assignments

Assigning large projects (culminating tasks) can often lead to disappointed teachers and poor student grades. My district wants to see the rigor of classroom curriculum increased, but the number of Ds and Fs reduced. Knowing that many of my students have hard home lives, jobs, or see no point in education, I have gotten accustomed to having an alternative assignment ready for the students that come to presentation day unprepared. 

My college teacher friends may disagree with this idea, but I feel that I have no choice. These projects can cause a student's grade to drop to irretrievable depths, and then what happens? They give up for the remainder of the semester knowing that they will not pass and might as well wait for summer school or credit recovery. 

The alternative assignment gives them hope and keeps them working. I could be a stickler for deadlines OR I could be that teacher that chose not to give up on the students that often give up on themselves. 

I must note that the alternate assignment is not equivalent to the original. Students can achieve no higher than a "C" on the alternate assignment, which, many of them, are perfectly happy with. Those who are not happy with the alternative are often inspired to do the original assignment for late points. 

Either way the students are still working and learning. And that's the goal. Right?