Monday, March 26, 2007
I Have One Question... Everything?
It's a review day during this AP class two days before their test. As the students are leaving one comes up to me and asks if I'm available to answer questions after school. I say yes, and he says he'll be there after school with questions. This is a good thing, because he needs the help.
After school comes, and so does he. This conversation transpires.
Student: "So I haven't been paying much attention lately."
Me: "I've noticed."
S: "Now I have incentive to do better." (insert some reasons about college, being grounded, etc)
M: "Well, I'm glad to help. What do you have questions about?"
S: "Well, I know we're doing magnetic fields, ... but that's about all."
It turns out he wants me to re-teach everything because he wasn't paying attention and has now decided he should have been. I tell him that's not good enough. I can answer any questions he has, but he has to know enough to ask questions. I'm not going to re-teach it. I have him look at the review sheet I made, and I give him my book and tell him to sit here, read the worksheet, read the book, and let me know if he has any questions. After about 10 minutes of this he decides that the review sheet is pretty thorough (darn right it is) and that he'll look at the book at home and come in the next day with questions.
The next day he comes in... with one question. It's not even about the hard sections. It's a minor thing that the book explains very well. I answer his question and he leaves.
We'll see how the test went.
After school comes, and so does he. This conversation transpires.
Student: "So I haven't been paying much attention lately."
Me: "I've noticed."
S: "Now I have incentive to do better." (insert some reasons about college, being grounded, etc)
M: "Well, I'm glad to help. What do you have questions about?"
S: "Well, I know we're doing magnetic fields, ... but that's about all."
It turns out he wants me to re-teach everything because he wasn't paying attention and has now decided he should have been. I tell him that's not good enough. I can answer any questions he has, but he has to know enough to ask questions. I'm not going to re-teach it. I have him look at the review sheet I made, and I give him my book and tell him to sit here, read the worksheet, read the book, and let me know if he has any questions. After about 10 minutes of this he decides that the review sheet is pretty thorough (darn right it is) and that he'll look at the book at home and come in the next day with questions.
The next day he comes in... with one question. It's not even about the hard sections. It's a minor thing that the book explains very well. I answer his question and he leaves.
We'll see how the test went.
