Last Thursday at the staff meeting I got my students' progress reports, and for the most part a lot of them are getting Ds in at least one of their classes (on the bright side I have two with straight As so far!). Today I talked with one of my students, Harry*, about his low marks in English and History. From our conversation, I was able to see that he understands what he is learning and gets along with his teachers, but he doesn't do so hot on tests, which I feel because I've had classes in high school where I get the material/homework and then bomb the exam. What I need to figure out now is what can I do to help him understand that he needs to give more detailed answers on his English tests, how to get him to perform on exams at a level that is commensurate with his knowledge and learning capabilities. When he talked to me, he was so sure of himself and conveyed to me that he actually does do the work, that he understands his reading or homework, and it got me excited to realize that he isn't the dumb clueless student.
Today I also got to have a nice conversation with one of my top students. I already had an interest in getting to know him because he just moved from India to Berkeley about a year ago, so I wanted to make sure he was adjusting alright, but he's doing so great! This guy is pretty cool, the Dalai Lama gave him his name! That's pretty wild. I hope he got a good vibe from me because of our small talk. I think the obstacle I am facing right now with all my students is the fact that I am still unfamiliar to them at this point since we have only met twice. And I just want them to realize that I am here to support and help them in any way possible. I'm not just a person four or five years older than them who is going to act like their other (probably lame) teachers, but rather that I am here to help guide and prepare them for success and that they can come to me with any problems they might be facing.
Which brings me to another student of mine, Allie. She's been giving a small amount of attitude during the last two group meetings, which I called her mother about (she told me that she wants to be aware of how Allie is doing, so no, I'm not being a rat!) That was last week, but tonight her mother called me and told me a heartbreaking story for half an hour. Allie was supposed to be on the Berkeley High volleyball team (she played the sport all through middle school), and she had her schedule adjusted for it and even purchased all the equipment she would need to play. However, when the school year started and Allie went to the first practice, she was told that she wasn't on the team (her and four or five other girls, all of whom are minorities). They were told that there weren't enough jerseys or spots after all, but after Allie and other students of color were kicked off the team, new girls who never tried out (and who were also white) were let on, much to Allie's surprised. After many meetings with admininstrators and the coach (a female college student), it was pretty much let out that there was no good reason for Allie to have been removed from the team. (Not only did the coach assemble a vanilla team, but she also imposed the idea that she didn't want girls with curves on the team either!)
Why I mention this is that since Allie had her passion taken away from her for no good excuse, she has become very angry and lacking a lot in self-confidence. This destructive behavior is affecting her school work and performance in Y-Scholars, hence the bad attitude. Obviously it's not the sole reason, but I just really feel for her right now, and I am just disgusted at how this school that caters to white students can stand to rip apart the self-esteem and dreams of its minority constituents. Not only is Allie not playing volleyball, but now her response to that is negatively affecting her academic career. I am just really really bothered right now and it puts me at a loss somewhat in figuring out what I can do to help her overcome this obstacle and succeed in the rest of her life.
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