The State of The Class

We have approached the final day of grades for the first marking period and the scramble and panic has not set in. That is because the scholars have paced themselves. I'm finding attendance slowly improving in a school where attendance is poor. I keep reminding myself exactly who the scholars are in this school. Our school is called a transfer school. I don't really know what it means except that our scholars never chose to be here. Their circumstances dictated it. They dropped out, they fell behind in another school, they went to jail, they got pregnant and so on. Their living conditions are another matter. Not to give excuses, but to provide some context for the joy I am feeling for these scholars. They are in many cases, coming to school regularly and completing their work. In fact, they have gained an attitude of caring about the work and coming in during lunch and even doing some work at home. I have had scholars say, that a book they read for me was the first book they actually read. The school provides that kind of caring and nurturing. I have spoken about it before and am amazed at the dedication, the professionalism, and the compassion of this staff. All staffs I have worked on or have been consultation with have these qualities, but in this kind of school those characteristics are the cornerstone for the success. It is not in a few staff members, it is in all of them and that is remarkable.

So, as I reflect on the class to this point, I'm happy and impressed with their work. They have made webpages using HTML on Geocities. They have started their I am a genius file, have done a quote file, and have conquered the famed Hypertext Haiku assignment. I'm jazzed about what has happened in this class and I hope they are too.