I've got students who come to school, but they do no work. No work at home, and absolutely as little as possible in school. Oh, sure, if you were to walk by my room and glance in, these students would appear to be working. They pose with books. They tap away at keyboards or move pens across paper.
A closer look reveals that they've been "reading" the same page for 15 minutes. They are teenagers. Even the books they self-select bore them.
And the writing they appear to be doing? If a keyboard is involved, more likely browsing on Craig's List for a car or car part, rather than engaging in the processes of writing and thinking. If it's putting pen to paper, well, it could be anything from a doodle to a love note.
I used to think that the way to cure this was with pop quizzes, chapter study guides, and a reading pace designed to leave these laggards in the dust. A string of grades in my grade book was the visible proof of my efforts at engaging, and failing, these kids.
It seems to me that the students most in need of encouragement, most sitting in puddles of apathy, are the least likely to be motivated, or engaged, by quick coverage of topics, by grades, or by threats.
So here's my first PConvos: Apathy. What do you do about it in your classroom? Any observations, frustrations, or ideas you'd like to share? Is it possible that we now do too much for our students, and so they have become apathetic?
As SNL's "Coffee Talk" hostess, Linda Richman would say, "Talk amongst yourselves!"
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