Keeping our students on task, motivated and compliant with the many rules we have at our campus has become a chore for most of us on our campus.  Next week we will have TAKS testing with barely enough room for all of the different tests we have to administer.  Many of our latest group of students have tried to test the waters and have not reacted well to the consequences of acting out.  Our suspension and expulsion  rate is at an all time high on our campus.  As I have previously stated in the last post when our student ratio gets to high (and you have a facility problem) with barely enough room to house all of these students you have a recipe for disaster.  We have had several students this year who had violent outbursts and our SRO’s (police officer’s) have been making more and more visits.  I remember in college a professor saying the words “just survive” find a way to get through the year.  Unfortunately it seems we are at that point.  I spent the day yesterday going over expectations and using my best motivational speech to hopefully keep students inspired.  Funny thing about the talk is I needed to be reminded of it as much as our students.  It is so easy to become frustrated, and negative when you are put in an uncomfortable situation.  Our students can pick up on this and it is up to us to be mature professions and teachers we are supposed to be.  This is the time I told myself that I have to be at my best.  (I’m earning my extra stipend!)  Hopefully all will go well with our upcoming TAKS tests and the students will have a successful end to the school year.  My goal is to do just that!

Our numbers at the alternative school continued to increase during the last part of the fall semester.  Many of our students returned to their home campuses at the beginning of the spring semester which meant reduced class sizes at our campus.  I have been working with a student who has not been motivated to do much more than sleep in my class for most of the time she has been there.  She will be with us the remainder of the year and failed to pass any of her core content classes.  The last week or so after some encouraging words during a staff meeting from our principal I began to work with this student one on one for a few minutes each class period.  At first we made minimal progress but today she seemed to really be understanding some of the concepts we had been covering.  She had to stay after school today for a discipline writing assignment but before leaving she found me and asked me to get her test review.  In the past I am sure she would have hit the road and not given her education much thought.  I was very proud of her and her actions and felt very good about what took place.  So many of our students have rough home lives with very little positive support and sometimes (me included) I think we forget how far a little attention can go.  I have been observing my students over the past semester and one thing I believe is that we can make a difference with the at risk, special ed, and discipline students we work with at the alternative school as long as we have reasonable numbers of students to work with. 

Why do some students continually return to the alternative school?  This happens to many students in our district.   Are there any factors which these students have in common?  Is it possible that some students would prefer the environment at the alternative school?  If so, why?  If no, why are they having problems being successful on a regular campus? 

My research will focus on recidivism rates for students at the alternative school.  I will develop a questionaire and focus group. 

Welcome to blogs.parisisd.net. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!