It’s been several weeks since I posted anything. This time of year is filled with frenzied activity; everything from open house to Christmas shopping has worn me out. I leave at 6:30 in the morning, and because of tutoring, don’t get back home until after 7:00 in the evening. It seems that every weekend is filled with some time consuming activity, and the homework, quizzes, and tests that need to be graded are never-ending. Since this is semester exam week at most schools I meet with my last outside tutoring student last evening. Before leaving school at 2:15 yesterday I got my last papers graded and finished 2nd quarter grades.
Today I am giving semester exams to my 5th and 6th period classes before going home to rest before the faculty Christmas party this evening. This year we are going to a local restaurant for dinner and drinks. My wife and I are both planning to attend, provided the predicted winter ice storm doesn’t materialize before we leave. The snow storm on Tuesday this week complicated travel to the point that a normal half-hour trip to one of my tutoring students took almost 2 hours. The storm tonight is predicted to be worse, and if it is we are staying home.
Right now I am writing this while watching my regular chemistry class take their exam. There are 23 of them; 3 have dropped since the beginning of the year. For the most part I like them. Almost all are interested in doing well, if not prepared to work hard for it, and I can see from their note cards that they put in some effort to prepare. Sure I have some problem students in this class—a colleague likes to refer to them as “mouth-breathers”—but even these poor souls are well intentioned.
I have one student in danger of failing the semester. He failed 2nd quarter, mostly because he doesn’t turn in homework or lab reports, but is very bright. If he fails the semester exam he will fail first semester and have to repeat this summer. I have faith that he will come through with at least a D.
On Monday and Tuesday I gave the A.P. Chemistry semester exam. The grades this year were somewhat disappointing. Of 28 students in the class there were 5 D’s and 3 F’s on the exam. One of the D’s was earned by a young man ranked number 2 in his class. The girl just ahead of him in class rank got an A. He is always complaining that he can never keep up with her, and he is correct.
A quick look over the faces of my regular chemistry class shows an intense look on almost everyone. Several have a chance of getting an A if they do well on the exam. For most, this test will be the difference between a B or a C for first semester.
Many of the most promising students in class, based on their standardized test scores, are in that B-C range. The best of the group in terms of grades are almost all girls and all of just average ability, again based on standardized test scores. The one boy who has a legitimate chance of getting an A is a basketball player. The A would not be in question if not for his uneven performance. Another young man is very capable, but misses so much school that he is always trying to catch up—he has a lock on a B but no real prospect for an A.
One of my solid C students, a young lady, is holding her head up on her hand, mouth open, eyes glazed over; her signature look. The only time you would know she is awake is when she is startled by something I say; which is usually followed by her asking me if what I just said was going to be on the exam.
