Tell me all you need to tell. Why is it you whisper when you really need to yell (The Staves)

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

In Fathers (an anthology compiled by Jon Winokur), Arthur Ashe writing about his father's influence says:

I have a very low exasperation level for people who use the lack of education or opportunity as an excuse to do nothing because I saw my father, functionally illiterate, in a racist situation, make a success of himself.

At the moment, I must admit, I have a very low exasperation level for some of my students who refuse to even try to do a personal writing assessment (for English Achievement Standard 1.2).

A galling thing for me, is that I know they are capable of completing the task to a good standard, but they just can't be bothered. 

This is bothersome to me. I've tried a variety of approaches but in the end I had to cut them loose. As the deadline approached, it was obvious that, having given up, they would not/ could not pass.

But, it's more than their attitude, it's also my exasperation at not being able to help them.

This goes against my whole philosophy of never-give-never-surrender. This Achievement Standard precludes any kind of feedback and personal intervention on my part while the students are doing the final assessment. In practical terms this means that for the last two weeks I have been an observer.

In my opinion, this is bollocks, and against everything I am as a teacher. I hate being forced into a position where I can't help a student. 

So, for me and a few of my students, this standard is a lamentable and preventable disaster.