When I was in high school we had a middle class:  those students who got Cs and would fight for a B.  Nowadays it seems like the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.  The students I teach are either getting As or Ds!!

This, I think, is a result of the mentality that some of the students have when they come to class.  The “poor” if you will just… don’t… care!!  They come to class acting like, “Yea, go ahead, give me an F, I don’t care.”  These are the same students who don’t flinch from referrals, don’t come to class prepared with textbooks and pencils, don’t turn in homework, and don’t pay attention.  What’s their deal?

When I was in school I used to have a heart attack if I had a B, and I would be a nervous wreck if I didn’t turn in my homework.  I was actually embarassed if I behaved poorly and was called out on it.

The amount that my students don’t care is unbelievable.  Today, for example, after talking to my students about their lack-luster performance on a test, I called their names one by one to show them how they did.  One of my students just told me, “No thanks” when I called his name.  This made me crazy.  I demanded he come see how he did on his test.  But he wouldn’t budge.  So I told him to abandon his “too cool for school” attitude and show some concern for his grade and take responsiblity for his grades.  He got up mumbling and stumbling, pushing desks around, and barely glanced at his grade that I showed him.

Why?  Why do they not care?  Why do they let themselves slip from a C to a D to an F and not bat an eyelash the whole way down.  What has caused them to have no motivation to try?  Why are the poor getting poorer?  Am I not providing them with enough opportunities to excel in my class??

On the other hand, I have the rich who keep getting richer.  It seems they have no limit.  They’re pulling A+s on everything, coming prepared, never missing an assignment, and are continuously polite, respectful and kind.

There’s such a split in the classroom that I don’t know how to teach.  It’s difficult to reprimand the class when you have the go-getters in the front row absorbing every criticism I have to say, accepting it, and changing for the better (as if that’s even possible for them!)

What to do?  What to do?