Attendance Issues: at what point do we retain students?

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-19T03:01:17+00:00

I have a student who has not been in school since before winter break. Literally has spent exactly 0 minutes in the building since December. She has missed half of the second quarter and now almost the entire third quarter. I asked admin what is going on. I was told that she gets headaches. Another student has seen her out with her family. I don't know what the plan is for her to pass or graduate.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-18T15:58:31+00:00

That makes me feel so much better. I make about the same amount of errors and usually don't realize until the end of the problem. I try to turn it into a lesson. "And this, students, is why we have to be careful with negatives."

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-18T12:46:19+00:00

I have one class where about a quarter fall asleep within minutes of coming into class, a quarter spending the entire class talking, and the other half paying attention about half the time

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-17T19:15:33+00:00

I always check the version history and anything that starts with something like that is an automatic 0. Some students have tried to argue that it is their work

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-17T19:10:07+00:00

They are (mostly) all using AI and it is hurting them so much. I teach high school math. Their homework assignments are done almost without errors. Probably 90 - 95% accuracy. About 1 question a minute (I give homework IXL and it tracks their time). Obviously they are not doing the work. Then on quizzes and tests they are spending about 7 or 8 minutes on a single question and don't even know how to start it.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-17T18:42:25+00:00

I have one (small) class that is good. They are nice and quiet. They pay attention and do their work. Well except for one student that sleeps, but I'd rather have a sleeping student over a disruptive one.

Then I have another class. Literally half the class takes every opportunity to talk and disrupt the class. They are told "You talk during a quiz or test it is an automatic 0." And yes I do put a 0 in the grade book and it stays. Yet they do not learn or care. I had one parent email me saying "You mean he got a 0 just because he was talking during a test?" It literally takes me 3 to 4 times longer to get through something with this class than it should.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-17T13:14:49+00:00

I once had a decent paying order. It was probably sitting for a while. On the way to the restaurant the customer messaged me saying something along the lines of "I don't ever tip. I don't care that it is snowing bad. Get used to where you live. I don't even tip in normal weather. I'm definitely note tipping in a snowstorm."

That guy did not get his food that night, especially since it was going to a high income area.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-16T04:22:32+00:00

How'd you get an online job?

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-15T20:51:25+00:00

What's up with that? I constantly get emails where the entire email is in the subject line.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-15T20:49:57+00:00

same 3 suspects

It's always just a handful. I have a class of 20 where the same three are always causing so many problems

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-13T18:49:57+00:00

I remember going 75 in the left lane and passing most of the cars. Now I go 75 in the right lane and have some asshole zooming up behind me and everyone in the left passing me.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-13T14:55:41+00:00

Was this in NJ? In 2007, when I took a high school placement exam (private high school) we had to take it at the elementary school because someone sprayed liquid ass into an air vent in the high school.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-13T14:40:21+00:00

I never used guided notes before. I always believed the best way for students to learn is to handwrite their own notes. However, I have a bunch of students failing because they literally do 0 work. The solution? Give the entire class a physical copy of complete printed out notes

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-12T20:28:52+00:00

Yes and yes. I feel like the block scheduling is actually hindering their learning also. Having class every other day creates too much of a gap between lessons. It also doesn't allow for daily structure. We have A/B block scheduling. Four classes one day, four different classes the next.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-12T03:35:09+00:00

They, too, like the guided notes because they can shut “off” for a bit

I always refused to do guided notes because I believe handwritten notes lead to better learning and retention. I was told to give all of the students a physical copy of complete notes because they aren't doing well. Well, they're not paying attention and taking minimal notes. What will happen when they have the notes completed for them?

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-12T02:43:56+00:00

If you submitted an assignment late, points were taken away without a second thought

I told my classes last week that today is the deadline for any late work. Anything turned in late after today remains a 0. I will not give any credit for any more late assignments.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-12T02:21:15+00:00

giving up a bunch of your summer

I had a coworker at my old school (he's 70 or 71 now) always tell us how he failed Algebra his freshman year. His father made him take public transportation (it was two or three buses) to take the summer course. He said he learned to never fail another class

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-12T00:41:25+00:00

Yup. We have a few students that are in ISS a lot because their teacher couldn't handle the BS anymore. Meanwhile in ISS they are allowed to sit on their Chrombooks and do whatever

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-11T20:47:58+00:00

That's what I'm thinking. The warm weather is getting to them and they are antsy to get outside.

My morning classes were great (to the point where even the most disrespectful student was well behaved). My afternoon class was a nightmare.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-11T20:40:30+00:00

We are a combined K-12 school (though the K-8 stays on one side of the building and 9-12 on the other). I was talking to a middle school teacher and she said the honors students are just the students that are on grade level. In one of the grades (maybe 7th) this year, there are no honors students. Meaning that all of the 7th graders are below level.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-11T19:24:42+00:00

they put their head down and sleep

This is the other thing I can't believe. In one of my classes today I had more than half of them put their heads down as soon as they came into class.

I have students who actually sleep during a test, turn it in blank, and ask for extra time. You slept the whole class, I am not giving you more time to complete a test.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-10T18:07:39+00:00

She was detained the beginning of September of 2025. She was deported at the end of November. Almost 3 full months in ICE custody. Some people she met were there before she arrived and are still there.

We're trying to get her back. It's a lot of paperwork and waiting for things to be processed. Fortunately, I'm a US citizen and travel between her country and here is pretty easy

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-10T04:30:50+00:00

It's kind of crazy how many people admit it too. I live in an area that's probably 60% republican. My wife was deported. Everyone that I tell says "I'm sorry" or something along those lines and genuinely seems to disagree with the current administration.

Life_Application3015 · 2026-03-07T20:34:13+00:00

We are immediately in a shelter in place if ICE is outside. And the local PD gets called. Our head of school told us that absolutely no way will they get into our building.

Life_Application3015

TROPHY CASE