Am I being too harsh?

[ponygirlmom]

I feel like I'm not getting the whole picture here. What is a reading "project"? Does it require

a.) Reading many books that are not available in libraries in Asia and are difficult to carry while moving from place to place?

b.) Access to the internet?

c.) Access to a computer?

And where has the student been? A school campus in a technology-intensive place like Tokyo or Seoul, or studying environmental issues from a tent in the middle of nowhere?

The kid's summer experience may have turned out far different than he thought. He may have thought it would be no problem to do the project, whatever it is, and then he was surprised by the actual circumstances of his program. Or maybe he was just a poor planner. Can't tell without the details!

 

[Nancy]

I think many are assuming that he was staying in a 5 star hotel and enjoying fine dining while away for the summer. I agree with ponygirlmom that his trip might have been different and very basic, involving lots of schlepping and lugging around luggage, or it might have even involved a limited amount of luggage allowed per person and carrying heavy books around wouldn't work. Maybe he was staying in a youth hostel with limited services and no community access to ordinary things here. Maybe he was staying in a tent on a mountain with people from the country he was in--who knows? Maybe he was staying in a yurt.

You say he was at some sort of summer institute in Asia. That could mean a lot of things. Perhaps this institute was keeping him busy from sunup to sundown. Perhaps his time wasn't his own like it would be here. Was he doing Peace Corp type of work while there?

I think you need a LOT more information about the circumstances before being terribly punative.

Yes, he has to be responsible, but he might have been responsible in quite a different way on his trip to Asia.

AND he might have thought he would have all kinds of time while away, but it turned out differently.

 

[Superbob]

Another thing I forgot to mention--I used to be a journalist before I became a teacher. As nice as my editors were, and even as an editor at one time myself, I never got or gave extensions on deadlines. I think the reason is obvious--there wouldn't be a newspaper!

Some truth to this -- However, if a journalist does not have all the facts, rushing to print with an incomplete story just to beat a deadline can be a big mistake. Better to run a filler, and get the complete story and run it another day. The rush to publish (or broadcast) in the era of 24/7 news is partly responsible for the low credibility of both print and electronic media these days.

 

[Freddie]

I'd be wanting to know if this student is really where he says he is.
And submit the assignment via e-mail before or on the due date. A dead-line is a dead-line.
JMHO

 

[Bonzo Dog]

I feel like I'm not getting the whole picture here. What is a reading "project"? Does it require

a.) Reading many books that are not available in libraries in Asia and are difficult to carry while moving from place to place?

b.) Access to the internet?

c.) Access to a computer?

And where has the student been? A school campus in a technology-intensive place like Tokyo or Seoul, or studying environmental issues from a tent in the middle of nowhere?

The kid's summer experience may have turned out far different than he thought. He may have thought it would be no problem to do the project, whatever it is, and then he was surprised by the actual circumstances of his program. Or maybe he was just a poor planner. Can't tell without the details!

The above covers much the same as my thinking.

If it's as straightforward as go away on holiday and read a book, where's the problem? Isn't that what holidays are about, relaxation and reading mixed in with travel and sightseeing?

If written analysis is required, then we move onto different ground.

Mmmmmm honours without the u, strictly speaking isn't that American, not English?

 

[Susan BAV]

...sorry for the temporary hijack, Debi...

...sorry for the temporary hijack, Debi...

...Mmmmmm honours without the u, strictly speaking isn't that American, not English?

You may get a kick out of this, Bonzo, a previous post of mine from some time ago:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thought you might enjoy this one also. One of my dearest friends, a Heidelberg native, loves this piece. For optimal pleasure, take a moment to read it out loud:

"The European Union commissioners have announced that agreement has been reached to adopt English as the preferred language for European communications, rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a five-year phased plan for what will be known as EuroEnglish (Euro for short).

In the first year, 's' will be used instead of the soft 'c'. Sertainly, sivil servants will resieve this news with joy. Also, the hard 'c' will be replaced with 'k'. Not only will this klear up konfusion, but typewriters kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome 'ph' will be replaced by 'f''. This will make words like 'fotograf' 20 per sent shorter. In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of silent 'e's in the languag is disgrasful, and they would go. By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing 'th' by 'z' and 'w' by 'v'. During ze fifz year, ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vords kontaining kombinations of leters. After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil b no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer. Ze drem vil finali kum tru."

 

[ponygirlmom]

The rush to publish (or broadcast) in the era of 24/7 news is partly responsible for the low credibility of both print and electronic media these days.

I always wonder, who watches the cable news networks repeat the same little bits of a story over and over and over and.... Even within a two-minute "update" on the latest scandal ("missing meth-house tot texts porn-addicted congressman during WMD raid that nets fifty illegal florists and a cloned yak") they repeat the same two-second video clip several times.

Is it just on in the background because you're tired of hearing of hearing soap-operas repeat the same dialogue over and over?

("Thad! I know about your secret love child! The one you had with Carlee, who runs the meth house!"

"How did you find out?"

"I saw her picture on the news! Over and over! She looks just like you!"

"Oh, no! Now everyone will know! Hey -- what's this text?")

 

[debster913]

Problem solved.

Problem solved.

Latest development:

I have the class lists for my students and was able to contact the student's father in regards to the extension request. Because I was curious if the student was really telling me the truth or trying to wrangle his way out of completing the project (because I have heard some pretty elaborate excuses throught my teaching career!), the father was able to elaborate that his child is actually in Tokyo for an exchange program and that he has plenty of time to complete the project by the due date, which is actually the end of the second week of school. Here is the deal:

1) The summer reading project, as I stated above, is required through my English department and is a whole-district requirement. It is not as if I am trying to ruin kids' summer vacations by arbitrarily assigning a mega-project to complete by the end of August. In my experience, 99% of my students complete the project and feel that doing the project prepares them for the kind of writing they will do in my class as well as in their junior AP class the following year.

2) The project requires that students pick their choice of novel from a list and do the following:
--Write an essay about their choice of three general topics and support their answers with textual evidence.
--Keep a journal in which students take small passages from the book and write responses to them.
I do all this to make sure that students are actually reading, not hopping on Sparknotes.com to get the crib notes to the book.

3) Because this above said student has little access to computers and can only get online through an Internet cafe that charges something like $50 US dollars an hour, money most 15-year-old don't have, I allowed him to handwrite his assignments because of his individual circumstance. The father was thankful but assured me that his son will have the assignment ready when it is due.

I apologize if I came across as some kind of deadline dictator. I normally don't accept late work or give extensions on work because I used to be very lenient on these issues and students would take advantage of them like crazy! In my syllabus at the beginning of the year which both students and parents sign, all are aware that my deadlines are steadfast unless there is an extenuating circumstance. In that case, students will come to me quietly and notify me ahead of time if there is a family issue or other problem that keeps them from turning work in on time, and I quietly allow in those cases.

I don't know this kid from Adam and have to be tight on my deadlines at the beginning of the year or else I will have every Tom, Dick, and Susan trying to get away with everything. That is why I told him to do the best he can to complete the work. But again, as some of you pointed out, I didn't know the extent of his circumstance so that's why I decided to get the parent involved.

 

[Nancy]

Glad you got some clarification. That makes a world of difference.

 

[Mary]

I am glad you contacted the parent. That communication probably saved a great deal of miscommunication further on down the road.

 

[perrypiratesdad]

students will come to me quietly and notify me ahead of time if there is a family issue or other problem that keeps them from turning work in on time, and I quietly allow in those cases.

Um... I found a flaw in your system. What if the kid gets hit by a bus and is in a hospital or they can't speak quietly? How is the KID supposed to notify you?

I don't know this kid from Adam and have to be tight on my deadlines at the beginning of the year or else I will have every Tom, Dick, and Susan trying to get away with everything. That is why I told him to do the best he can to complete the work. But again, as some of you pointed out, I didn't know the extent of his circumstance so that's why I decided to get the parent involved.

Who's Adam, and why do you note Tom and Dick, and only Susan? Shouldn't there be a Betty in there too? Seems Sexist to me.

Sorry, I'll go back to my desk and quietly write I will not be an idiot any longer in Debster's class 1 million times. May I get an extension on that though as I have to go PARTY tonight?

 

[bvdr]

Deb, my husband totally agrees with you. I can see your point too. The fact that your school system requires it also puts a different light on it for me. You have no choice but to work within that framework.

I guess I was being a little overly sensitive from the kid's viewpoint. This last year my 8 year old grandson had a really rough school year and actually dreaded going each morning. It was a bad experience for all of us. It was a combination of things including battles over use of his rescue inhaler and nebulizer treatments and incidents involving a bully in his classroom. My son and his wife were also told they were not permitted to take him out of school for a week of family vacation in Hawaii. They took him anyway. It was really sad. He always loved school before and even though he was in the 2nd grade he was reading on a 7th grade level. He spends some time in what I think is called a gifted/talented program at his school. I had lunch with my daughter-in-law and grandson today at which time he grunted and grimaced when the fact that school was soon to start was mentioned.

Anyway, that's enough rambling on my part. I think you did just fine, Deb.

 

[debster913]

Um... I found a flaw in your system. What if the kid gets hit by a bus and is in a hospital or they can't speak quietly? How is the KID supposed to notify you?

Who's Adam, and why do you note Tom and Dick, and only Susan? Shouldn't there be a Betty in there too? Seems Sexist to me.

Sorry, I'll go back to my desk and quietly write I will not be an idiot any longer in Debster's class 1 million times. May I get an extension on that though as I have to go PARTY tonight?

Hmmm...well, if the KID is in the hospital, then usually the PARENTS notify me, or the student's guidance counselor calls with a homework request if the student will be out for a lengthy time.

Oh, and no extension for you. Not unless I can party with you tonight and bring my friends.

 

[ponygirlmom]

The project requires that students pick their choice of novel from a list and do the following:
--Write an essay about their choice of three general topics and support their answers with textual evidence.
--Keep a journal in which students take small passages from the book and write responses to them.

Ah ha! Caught the lazy slacker red-handed! See why we wanted to know the details?

I agree that an honors' 10th-grade should be able to read ONE book, make some notes and write ONE essay over the course of an entire summer, even if part of that summer is in Japan. Not to mention that two weeks of his alloted time is during the school year!

That reminds me of a story my friend just told me. She teaches both regular and honors' chemistry. A girl in her class came up to her and proudly said, "I'm gong to be in your honors' chemistry class next year." And my friend replied, "If you show the same lack of attention and dedication in the honors' class as you do in this one, I predict I'll be kicking you out within two weeks." Now she's waiting to see if the girl still takes the honors' chemistry!

 

[perrypiratesdad]

Hmmm...well, if the KID is in the hospital, then usually the PARENTS notify me, or the student's guidance counselor calls with a homework request if the student will be out for a lengthy time.

Nope... not acceptable... you said the KID must notify you.

 

[debster913]

Well if they can't call they can text. Isn't that what most teenagers do, anyway? My 17-year-old niece won't call me. She'll just text me.

 

[perrypiratesdad]

Well if they can't call they can text. Isn't that what most teenagers do, anyway? My 17-year-old niece won't call me. She'll just text me.

Doesn't that just crack you up. I mean... it takes more time to text someone than to call and tell someone something.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Okay, so my son has two books to choose from - The Road, by Cormac McCarthy and The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. One is shorter than the other, but my son heard that the longer one is easier to read. More importantly (to him), they both have unabridged audio CDs! I agreed that he could first read the book and tell me about it. Then he can read it while listening to the CD to make sure he gets all the details. They don't have to do a project until after school starts, but do have to take a test the first or second day of school.

These two books actually are much more in line with what he likes to read than the 3 last year - Queen of Camelot, The Discovery of King Arthur, and The Once and Future King. He picked the middle one, which was more boring, but shorter than the others!

 

[Duff Man]

Doesn't that just crack you up. I mean... it takes more time to text someone than to call and tell someone something.

Not necessarily. Actually depending upon who the person is, it could be a very painful process. IE, someone who just won't stop talking and subtle hints don't work on them. I just ran in to a guy like that the other day. Good Lord it gave me chest pain.

 

[Kari72]

My daughter is going to be a Freshman this year and for her English 1 Honors course she had to read Alas, Babylon. She wasn't real thrilled, but she started and finished the book and journal that she had to keep 2 weeks after school was out for the summer. Her friends on the other hand are still putting it off and most are waiting for the last minute to finish. She goes back to school Aug. 18 and I can assure you ALOT of the kids will not be turning in their assignment on time. It counts for 100 points, and their teacher, who also has a 9th grade student, is very well aware that the kids who don't turn in their project have no good excuse. After talking to some of my daughters friends it seems as though the students either do not believe they should have to do this project, or they are just plain lazy. I am not being mean by saying that, they admit it!
I feel if some of the kids can finish, then they all should be able to finish. Let them slide now, they will continue to take advantage in the future.