Today to start the new year in my classroom, I introduced my students to Naomi Shihab Rye's poem "Burning the Old Year." I reflect on this poem each year at this time, and my hope is that my students can take something away from it as well.
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Last night at our small group at church we talked about King David and the results of his sin. Yes, he repented and received forgiveness, but he also suffered consequences for his sin for the rest of his life: the death of his infant son, the rebellion and death of his son Absalom, the rape of his daughter Tamar. The list goes on. Yes, David was a great and mighty king, but his story also teaches that our actions do indeed have consequences. How does this connect to teaching? I'm getting there. This week I gave a vocabulary quiz over 16 words from Of Mice and Men. We discussed these words, created associations for them, and quizzed ourselves using Quizlet flashcards. One particular student received a low score on the quiz and immediately asked, "Can I retake this? I forgot to study." I get similar questions when students earn a low score on an Article of the Week reflection. "I forgot to do this until last night. Can I resubmit it?" "I didn't get that done, so can I turn it in later this week?" Our school has various policies by department. Some teachers allow retakes no matter what; other teachers allow retakes after some kind of "corrective" work. Other teachers don't allow any retakes. I've struggled with this decision. On the one hand, the ultimate goal should be learning, not just getting a grade. With that perspective, then, I should allow retakes in the hopes that redoing the Article of the Week reflection or retaking the vocabulary quiz will lead to greater understanding and mastery of the material. And from a Christian perspective, I'm also showing my students an extension of grace. On the other hand, I see more and more what it is like to live in a world where it seems there are no consequences. In a world of post-truth and fake news, it feels imperative to teach my students that their actions ultimately do have consequences. What am I teaching them but to game their way through the educational system? "Sure, it maybe took me 18 tries, but by attempt #19, I aced the test." And should that student earn the same grade as the student who studied throughout the unit and knew all of the words by test day? Today I struggle with these questions. I recognize that this is a broader philosophical question, not just the simple question of "Do I allow my students to redo assignments and retake quizzes?" In the meantime, I'm grateful for any feedback my 12 readers could provide. |
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September 2020
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