Spring break is next week and you can feel the almost-vacation jitters in the room. Attention is going to be hard won today.
This week, R starts out sitting at our happily chaotic little table. I take that as a good thing, a kind of progress and friendship. I also silently hope R's good attitude and work ethic may rub off a little (is that a thing? I know so many teachers try it, but does it work?). No such luck though. Q is utterly disinterested, to the point where I am him if there's anything he wants or needs to talk about. "No," is his quick and sullen answer.
"Okay, well you know I'm here, Q." He grunts in response. Perhaps it is just those spring break jitters- no one wants to be in this room when the weather is beautiful and vacation closely beckons. I'll be watching him a little more closely when we get back.
Ms. S tries to start the class, but it's more like herding cats than trying to capture the attention of high school students (or perhaps they're really quite similar). An interrupting phone call does nothing to help her cause. Trying to save the remaining hour, she reigns the class in with exercises and stretches.
"Everybody stand up! Stand up right now and stretch."
Many groans permeate the air, but everyone begrudgingly rises. Well, everyone but one. Ms. S addresses him.
"[Student], stand up and stretch or leave."
He leaves.
Nothing else is said. The stretching goes on another moment and everyone sits. Ms. S begins. Today is Paschal's triangle (a polynomial thing). The material proves simple enough but woefully tedious. If I was going to have any luck with Q, Paschal had ruined it.
Everyone starts working. I watch them work and wait for questions. R has the most- she's eager to learn but not as quick with math as T. T herself is a little off, as well. Spring break is hurting us here. As I'm answering R's question, T just gets up and leaves. She understands the material and considering where we are in the semester, I decide it's better to leave her be. R and I work through the problem together and I make notes as to what's tripping her up. J and Q have been quietly (by comparison to other weeks) working. I check on them. Q's got a pretty good grasp. I point out what's tripping him up and let him know he's doing well as I move to J. J's also going along pretty well, slowly but steadily pushing along. I make a note- he forgets the negative signs- and let him know he's golden. I make my way back around the table. Q's made some errors he's quickly able to understand. He's got it, and we both know it, but because he understands it, he's unwilling to suffer the tedium and finish the worksheet. R's asking for help again so I return to her. She's mixing up her multiplication and addition, but we sort that out. She's almost got it and because she's willing to work at it, she will have it soon. We continue to work together as I slowly make her trust herself more as she gets better. R's gotten the vast majority of my time today, but she was the only one who really wanted the help. It's about helping who you can. I'm not neglecting my other three kiddos, but I realize that much more and I would be pushing them too much. It's seeking the balance so I can do the most (but not too much).
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