Teach Fzx Tuesday - When They Don't Care

"My students don't want to review for the final so I'm not going to force them."

It's final exam week and I hear it every time.  From teachers.  The high school year's almost over and nobody wants to be here so let's fiesta!!

Silly me - Yo pensaba que se festeja los fines de semana y los feriados y el verano - why we party the day before the most important exam in the class is beyond me, but it's common.



And it's prevalent not just in slacker classes like English and History, but Chemistry and Physics.  Not just the regular kids teachers but the honors students teachers too.  It seems that even highly responsible teachers who push their students to work hard throughout the year sometimes lose it when it comes to final exams.

Some take the cheap way out - "I provided a review handout and if they want to do it that's up to them."  Others give their final unit test two days before the final exam, provide a review handout, and expect average high school students to review an entire semester of material on their own in 48 hours - those same students who haven't studied for a test all year.

If drowsy driving is the cause of 100,00 accidents and 1,500 deaths every year, how many students fail or perform poorly because their teachers fall asleep at the helm of the class?

I honestly don't care if my students don't care to learn.  I'll work hard to do whatever I can to get their brains moving.  I tell great stories, connect curriculum to life, inject humor, encourage, cajole, and bribe my way to education.

Full disclosure - I used to do it too. Then I realized that I got into education because I wanted my students to learn, get good habits, and relax only when the fat lady sings.  Now that I run a solid review and provide lots of online review material, my students perform far better.

Some may consider it teaching to the test - anything to defend a established behavior, right?  It's high school, not university, and I'll show them how to review for a test by doing it well.

Finish the race.  For education's sake.  We can party all summer.