A little something I like to call RESPONSIBILITY

Lessons in responsibility as evidenced by students.

1. Why walk to the bus stop when you can drive? Besides, the bus stop IS just under .10 of a mile from the house, so, it's best if a parent drives you there. Seriously?! Seems a bit outrageous, but that's what I witnessed this year as I left my house for work. Sure enough, I'd see mom/dad and son/ daughter waiting for the bus. On a couple of occasions I actually followed the car up the street only to discover that they live not far from the bus stop. If they were going to drive their kids less than a tenth of a mile to the bus stop, why didn't they just drive them to school?

The lesson: Students, especially those in high school, should not have to over exert themselves by walking to the bus stop. Taking the bus is traumatic enough; why make it more traumatic by requiring them to exercise?

2. If you submit your work eventually, then you should be rewarded. At least, that's what one young lady in junior English thought. After failing most of this quarter, she asked if she had a chance at passing for the year. "Probably not; it depends on the numbers, " I replied. "Well, I'm going to turn in all my missing work," she assured me. I, silly me, thought that she was going to submit the missing work that day or the next; no, she submitted it about a week later. I guess she wanted to see how many deductions she could accrue. Needless to say, I think she scored a 7, a 2, and maybe a 4 on the missing journals.

The lesson: Deadlines and tardiness are relative; if a student completes an assignment, he deserves full credit. After all, he took time out of his busy schedule to partially and poorly complete an assignment that was due over a month ago.

3. School is about effort, not learning. As part of the final exam, I asked my sophomores to reflect on their experiences this year. One question asks for ways in which I could improve the course. Some suggestions are actually feasible, and others, well, others simply contradict my philosophy of education. One young lady recommended that I change how I award credit for an assignment. Students should be graded based on effort, not on mastery of a particular skill or objective. Hmmm, I could understand that when it comes to creativity/ art, but for English as a whole?

The lesson: Effort is more important than knowledge and growth. Who cares if students don't actually learn anything so long as they tried. Everyone deserves a gold star simply for showing up to class.

4. Finally, some real growth. Back in February, students completed the scheduling process for next year. I told my sophomores that I would only recommend them to AP English 11 if they had an A or B, or, in some cases, a high C. One young man signed up for regular English 11 due to his steady C, even though I knew he could handle AP. Yesterday, his mom e-mailed me to ask if I would recommend her son to AP. He managed to earn a B this last quarter, and that made him realize that he could handle AP next year. I was floored by the email; it's the kind of request most teachers would like to receive. (And yes, I affirmed the request.)

The lesson: Challenging students does produce growth, even though it might take them all year. Witnessing this maturity is a rare treat, but when it occurs, my teaching, my work, is validated. Even better? I know this young man has accepted full responsibility for his successes (and failures), enabling him to make even better choices in the future.