A lifetime license!

Getting my license renewed was not easy.  I had problems communicating with the Indiana Department of Education.  I did not find their online site user friendly!  By the time I entered my 90 plus hours of professional development and college credits, a new law had been passed requiring CPR training.  I took a day of training at the Red Cross and sent in my certificate.  By the next day, I had my license.  I was able to attach it to emails to Human Resources and my own supervisor and am all set to work...for another ten years!  I was amazed because my previous renewals have been for five years.  For me, this is a lifetime license!

Summer time!

I spent the first week of summer finishing reports and looking over list servs that I had saved to browse when I had more time.  I took notes and was full of ideas of how to do things better!

And now,  I am just glad not to be teaching and to be thinking about all the challenges and problems our students face--and thus, that I face!  I have been editing this blog and am about half-way through.  It brings back so many memories that I have already forgotten.

I need to record numbers.  I think I had 72 students in all.  Only six passed the GED exam thus far.  There were just a handful who came into class at an 8th grade level or above in all three areas, so it is not expected to have many GED graduates.  The percentage of those who made "bundled gains" was much higher--in other words, went up from elementary to middle school level, or middle school to high school level in at least one area.

From my email to LeRoy:

AM class:  44 students enrolled, 28 increased one academic level, 4 GEDs

PM class:  28 students enrolled, 17 increased one academic level, 2 GEDs

Possibly 7 more GEDs in June, but that may be optimistic!  Several registered yesterday.  A couple need to do retakes to get a few more points.

It was interesting and sobering to realize that only 11 out of 44 in the AM class and 8 out of 28 in the PM class came in with scores above 6.0 grade level in reading, math and language--all three areas.  In other words, 75% entered the program at an elementary school level in at least one subject and in many cases, more than one.  GEDs are unrealistic goals for many of these students. 

I want to see how many students left before we were able to post-test. I'll check those numbers later.

 Yesterday one student did me a favor by coming in even after not being in class for two weeks (he had been in jail) and post-tested.  I thought we had nothing to lose and plenty to gain.  He post-tested up two levels in language!    And then there was one student who had more hours than anyone, is taking the GED exam, and I could not get him past 8th grade on the reading post-test--thus no money for program except the minimum for enrolling.

We should have had more GEDs however.  H and N were honored at the GED graduation as outstanding graduates.  A was there and very pleased to be there!  T from the last few years at Family Literacy was a graduation speaker.  H's attorneys came from Chicago which was really a bonus.

Now I need to get my license renewed.  This has not gone smoothly due to a transition to online renewal and now a new requirement of CPR certification.  I've had some moments of thinking about all the travel I could do if I were not working any more!  But I think I would regret giving up this role in my life--at least for now!

A trip to the zoo

A few weeks ago, the Family Literacy class went on their annual trip to the zoo.  B commented that he had never been to a zoo.  "Not even on a class trip?" I questioned him.  He said he had moved so often and gone to about 18 different schools and not even on a class trip had he been to a zoo.  I decided our class needed a trip to the zoo also!

So on Tuesday, B, H,  G with his daughter,  N and her two little ones,  B with her daughter, and M with her two grandchildren went to Potowatami Zoo.   I wrote out a $92 check and it was worth every penny.  The first exhibit was tigers in a pretty bleak glass cage.  B and N especially were thrilled.  B must have taken six photos of the tigers alone.  N was calling for her kids to see the tigers.  I took a photo of them all taking photos!

They spent almost two hours looking at the animals--longer than any Family Literacy class I ever took.  I had the hot dogs ready by that time and we had a great picnic.  They left with lots of thanks and hugs.  I felt so privileged to be able to give them that enjoyment--for the adults and the children.

Why are they digging that hole?

For the last week, there have been police cars in the parking lot across from our site.  It appeared as if men were digging holes--deep holes.

Today, my curiosity got the best of me.  I walked over on my lunch break and asked what was happening.  Well, it was not bodies they were looking for.  The men were testing the ground with wires and where it was soft, they assumed there were privies left from the many houses that were located in that lot in the 1800s.  I saw one privy that they had excavated--a round brick-lined hole about 12 feet deep.  They had a bin full of medicine bottles, pottery shards, a whisky bottle and a whisky jug.  The whisky bottle had a jagged, broken top or it could have been worth hundreds of dollars they said.  The jug was probably used for home-made brews.

I told the three men who made up my very small afternoon class today that we were taking a field trip.  We walked across the street and learned even more about the work of the amateur archaeologists.  They research sites at the library, get permission from the owner (in this case, the Catholic church) and then sell their finds on Ebay.  It was a great lesson in history and I was glad I was curious!

I still don't know, however, why there have been so many police cars in the parking lot--unless they too are curious!

Happy Mother's Day

We have three sixteen year olds in class right now.  All three are very quiet, uninvolved, and dependent on me for direction.  Two of them have fallen asleep in class.   Over the weekend I texted two of them, one to say that I was pleased to see him smile before he left one day and the other to say that she had written a very nice essay.

To my surprise, I received Mother's Day greetings from both of them by text!  M, the pregnant young lady, was in class this morning and actually offered suggestions for class work.  We'll see if P, the young man, comes tomorrow and if his involvement also improves.

The moral for me--texting is the way to communicate!  And a bit of positive feedback improves an attitude quite a bit!

C loses it and we lose him!

It's been almost a month since I have written in this blog.  There is much I could write about--the GED graduation for one and I will do so later.  For now, I'll follow up on C, the man I wrote about before, when I felt I had a glimpse of his basic humanity and was sorry for my attitude towards him.

The story continues.  On Tuesday there were four police cars across the street.  There have been four shootings in our neighborhood, two of them fatal.  Maybe that is why there was a stronger police presence.  In any case, C went crazy.  He started complaining about the b.... which I at first thought was his reaction to my asking him to check the goals in his folder.  But then he started stalking around the room using the f word over and over again.  He got himself a cup of coffee and sat in the window for a bit.  Then he started walking again.  I said something like "I think it's time you left, C" and he walked out.  I locked the door.

The students were pretty sure his reaction was from seeing police outside.  Once before he had talked about someone out to get him when a police car was in front of the building.  At that point, however, he went out to talk to the police and returned.

Our volunteer who is a pretty big guy himself said, "That was pretty scary."  W, who is an ex-con, also was pretty uncomfortable.  I was not scared, but I sure didn't like it.

I had difficulty reaching him by phone that night and was forced to leave a message with his mother that he should not return to class.  I sent him a letter terminating his participation.  We have begun to keep the doors locked after class begins.

I am sad that C did not belong in our class.  I am concerned that he was not screened out earlier.  He made me uncomfortable from the day he walked in.  He never participated in class work and found it difficult to work on his own.

I hope he will not show up at the door again.  But it is too bad that there was not a place for him.

J's poem

 I thank you, my teacher, my friend, that helps me improve my skills.

As I write with this pencil in my hand, the time you give to me is important.

So I am very happy to learn to brighten my future. 

I know it is good for me and never foolish to reach my goals.

Success turns gold.

So my ears hear as you speak to learn.

If I don't understand what you are trying to teach me, I will raise my arm.

Ms. Mary, I am very happy to learn.

Thank you for the time that I earn.

This is J's poem.  His career goal is to be a writer.  The original draft was written as one long sentence in one solid paragraph with many misspellings.  He, too, was someone I was able to give individual time last week with lowered attendance.  He cannot do math at all and his writing is pretty undisciplined.  But he wants to do well so badly.  How can I give up on him?  

Recognizing someone's humanity

Last week I had a lesson in recognizing the humanity in all of us.  We have a new student who looks like a homeless person.  He is disheveled, scarred from burns, and very gruff.   When I have asked him to join in group work, he put me off in a very cross way, saying that he can't switch from one thing to another like that.  I decided to let him do his own thing--in a sense, giving up on him.  His skills are very low and he had been coming in late and leaving early.

Thursday we had just four students.  I spent a lot more time with each one and he responded to that attention.  Before he left he told me he had been thinking about his telling me he wouldn't do the work I suggested for the group and he apologized in his own way.  He began to tell me more about his life than I really wanted to know--his common law wife who was infertile, his wanting children, his best friend in jail, etc.  I felt ashamed of my own unwillingness to recognize the vulnerability in him.  After all the experience I have had in this job, I should know better.

Today he called the secretary of the adult ed department to leave a message for me that he needed to be excused for his absence.  Our own phones are not working properly and he knew I was not home to receive his call.  I appreciated his taking that responsibility.

You'll be here four more hours!

My supervisor came in for an hour on Tuesday morning as part of the Teaching and Learning Initiative he and I are participating in for our school corporation.  The idea is that we do a narrative on what we observe and then look for strengths and ideas for improvement.

He took three pages of notes in less than an hour.  I was amused by his noticing the traffic and the noisy pencil sharpener (like a machine gun, he said!) which I never notice at all.  The morning was particularly chaotic because there were 16 students, an all time high for the year.  Two young ladies had not been there for three weeks and then just showed up.  Three young men came in late and took their time to settle in.  Three students were very new to the class and not used to our routine.

My supervisor said it was a very good experience for him to see what it is like in a classroom again.  As he left, he thought to himself Mary has four more hours of this today and then two more days this week!  He was very positive in his comments and I was happy to have him see us at our craziest.

However, that kind of day is not ideal and I made some changes.  The three young men were told to show up on time or not come.  Two of the young men came on time, in fact early, to the afternoon class which was fine.  One did not show up.   I'll send him a note regretting his dropping out of class.  One of the young ladies will be told to take a "leave of absence" due to her erratic attendance.  She didn't come anyway the rest of the week. The rest of the week was much calmer and more productive.

But I am very tired at the end of each day and desperately need some down time at home before I recover.

Real life math

I belong to a numeracy list serv that has had a discussion of "word problems" and how often what teachers think are real life problems are condescending or irrelevant to students' lives.

This week N sent me an email in the evening with a sketch asking if he could call me.  I had supper first and then wrote Sure.  He didn't call, but we discussed the problem the next morning.  His supervisor had asked him to produce four of a certain object according to the sketch by the next morning. He said he panicked but was able to do so using CAD.

We were both pleasantly surprised when we used the Pythagorean theorem to solve the problem the next morning.  He said that our solution was exactly right and that was how he had made the object.

Excused absences?

"I am sorry I missed the week... st paddys day yeah.. umm went to jail for a week.. this week is spring break right."

This is the email I received from B on Tuesday in response to the one I sent asking if he was OK.  No, he wasn't OK, but when he did return to class on Wednesday, he seemed very nonchalant about a week in jail.  He said it wasn't the first time.  At least he did not smell like booze and he came back.

His inappropriate language is no longer a problem.  He said it was a habit when he first came in and he couldn't help it.  But he has demonstrated enough self-control to stop it.  I will need to let him know that I admire him for that.

The Joy of Texting

Yesterday I thought I should try to reach two young men who had not been in class all week.  I was tempted to let them go because I have not been impressed with their motivation and dedication to attendance.  But in the interest of giving them another chance and giving me another chance to measure gains, I texted them both.  Within minutes or less, I had responses that clarified their absences with assurances that they would be in class on Tuesday.

Texting is the way to communicate with many students these days.  I wonder if I would have gotten an answer by calling.  Email does not get much use although I have worked on getting everyone an email account for job search purposes if nothing else.

Next year?

I had been thinking of asking my supervisor to give me just one class next year, not two.  I am really tired at the end of two classes.  I have to think about and plan for so many students.  It takes me a long time to do so at my usual Friday morning kitchen table routine and to keep daily attendance records.   Earlier this year I was despairing about my ability to teach the younger students who gravitate to the afternoon class because noon is even too early to wake up.

But several of those students are no longer in the class, three of them because I "wrote them up."  The students who were really bonded to the previous teacher are also gone.  In many ways, things are better.  There are a few more grown-ups in the afternoon class and that helps.  Some are nearing their goal of a GED and that also helps.

I know I am doing what I do well.  Is it pride or a willingness to serve to say that I think it is my calling to keep doing what I am doing, at least for one more year?

BD and K--a follow up

BD has been sober for three weeks, I think.  He has come to class quite regularly and is making progress.  He even sent me a nice email last week saying he enjoyed the class.  He has a very tense look about him.  Today he looked particularly pale and stressed.  But every day is a step ahead and I am so glad for his progress.  I saw a nasty word on his folder, but I have heard very little of that from him lately.

K, on the other hand, has been running away from home according to her mother who called. Her mother said she met a guy from Elkhart on the internet and had been meeting him.   K also called me from Elkhart to say she wouldn't be in class for a while because she wasn't getting along with her mother.  So there are two sides to this story!

Follow up a few months later:  Others have told me that K is pregnant.   She also left with videos belong to the library that H had checked out and he was left with a $90 bill.

Hazards of being H

I told H I had felt concerned about him when I was thinking about his leaving the Bulls game Saturday night and getting home.  The thought of him being on public transportation that time of night in Chicago worried me.  I told him I felt like his mother!

He said that his lawyers paid for a cab for him.  This meant signing a voucher after arriving at his niece's house.  He said that the police saw him and the cabbie and stopped to ask what was going on.  He mentioned his lawyers' names and they got out of there fast, he said.  They are all familiar with the Innocence Project!

I also asked him about J who clearly had designs on him and hasn't been in class for a week.  He said he broke up with her and told her not to contact him any more.  She has been repeatedly texting him and leaving voice mails.  He had been deleting them, but his lawyers told him to keep a record just in case.  She is a bit scary, I think.  He mentioned something about a knife and I don't know what that was about.  I didn't ask for clarification!  He is vulnerable because he is recently out of prison, due to make a considerable amount of money because of his lawsuits, and because he is just a really nice fellow.   I hope and pray he is smart.  I think he will be.

I was touched

My afternoon classes have been very hectic with many students.  H stayed all day and if it were anybody but him, I might have said that the morning session was enough.  He works very independently and just checks in with me every once in a while with his questions--which are good ones.

He always helps me clean up the room, putting away the computers and helping me carry things to my car. Today he left before I was finished and I said good-bye as he was walking out the door.  He stuck his head back in and told me to be sure to lock the door.  He knew this was my routine and he was reminding me!  I felt cared for!

I think it is amazing that he is such a kind and sweet person after all those years in prison.  He just does not seem hardened and cynical.

Prayer

Tuesday was rough.  I found ways to talk to B and to K about their behavior and I prayed about it.  Wednesday was much better with both of them and I took that as an answer to prayer.   This morning I specifically prayed for those two.  The answer to my prayer?  Neither one showed up in class today and neither one called.  It did make for a lot less stressful day.  Was that God's answer to my prayer?

A few laughs

Yesterday H told me he had left some of his work at the "crib."  I asked what was that--the crib--and D said that he couldn't believe I asked that.  A "crib" is your house.  I wonder how many of my colleagues know that!

Monday I used the Reading Profile tests with a student at the library class where I help out.  After misreading several multisyllable words on the Word Recognition list, she said, " I never was good at pronunsation."  I didn't correct her pronunciation or her thought.

And then I have had to chuckle about it being all right to say  "G D it" if you are an atheist according to one young man yesterday.  He also wrote that he was dylexic.  He certainly can't spell.  I have told the story many times of that dear student Kevin in my 6th grade class years ago who wrote on the top of his spelling test "I am dum."  He was smart enough, but he too couldn't spell!

Collaboration

My supervisor asked me to join him as a "learning partner" in the Teaching and Learning Initiative of our school corporation.  We meet with about two dozen educators, administrators and teachers, every two weeks.  There are six such groups.  We are working on a framework for evaluation and developing skills in collegial collaboration.

As a result, I have sent out two emails to my colleagues presenting  problems I am dealing with and asking for advice.  I have gotten great feedback and I think it is a way we can collaborate even if we are not in the same building.

Yesterday I asked for advice about a new student BD, a young man who came in last week smelling like alcohol and mouthwash.  His language was pretty bad with repeated use of a variation on the "f" word.  I warned him and he struggled with compliance.  He came two more times without the odor, but still needed warning about the language.  When he came out with a "GD it" yesterday, I had to write him up.  At that point I asked him if he had been drinking.  He said he had to do so before coming to class because he was so anxious.  I said he could not come in that condition and we could not tolerate his language.

Three colleagues responded and I hope to take their advice.  However, to my relief and to the relief of the other students, he wasn't in class today.  I think I will call him and help him find a medical clinic where he can get treated for his anxiety.  

It was tense yesterday with two lovely new students, both thirty some year old mothers who must have been appalled at the behavior of BD and a few other young'uns.  I also wrote up K for continued cell phone use.  There is plenty of flirting going on in the class and exchange of phone numbers, and it can get to be distracting!  

A postscript to the saga of B

After being assured that she would leave her cell phone home, I told B she could come back.  Her probation depended on it.  She returned, but the cell phone was back.  She had forgotten it in her pocket. She managed to leave it out of sight for a few days, but then it was back again--and she said she had to take a call from her probation officer.  A little bit of sleuthing determined her PO was out of the office that day.

She asked me if I could drop her off after class.  I assumed that meant at home which was not out of my way very far.  When we started out, she told me to bring her to her aunt's house which was a few miles in the opposite direction.  She was very rude about my objecting to this and never said thank you for the ride.

At that point, maybe because I was so tired of her behavior, I decided the cell phone business was the last straw and that she needed to be suspended.  I wrote it up for the PO and faxed it over the weekend.  I was able to talk to him before her court hearing.  I stressed that it is unfair to demand that someone be in adult education classes when it is not a good placement for them.  She could not work independently and had made no progress.

 I don't know the end of the story.  She may be back incarcerated at the Juvenile Justice Center.  There are successes--many of them.  I'll write more about one later.  But she is not and it makes me sad.  However, my life is easier without her.

Follow up a few months later:  I have heard from others that B is pregnant.  She had been pregnant before and had a miscarriage.  It is possible that this will give her a reason to grow up some!

A new student with a story

H began class last week.  He was there before I got there--which is always a good sign!  His math scores were terrific; his reading scores less so.  He said something to me about having lost 18 years of his life and knowing nothing about computers and those phones people have.  I figured that meant he had been in prison.  The next day he mentioned that he had been on Fox News in Chicago and something about his being in prison for something he had not done.  I don't believe everything I am told any more--not like I used to--so when I got home, I checked it out.  There he was, being interviewed on Fox News, earlier this month.  There was also a series of articles in the Chicago Tribune.

Eighteen years ago, when he was 15, he and three other young black men confessed to a rape and murder of a young woman.  Last fall, the Innocence Project in Chicago took up their case and linked DNA results to a serial rapist and killer who died himself of gunshot wounds in 2008.  The men were released and just a few weeks ago, it was determined that they would not be retried.

H has been in class every day.  He stays into the afternoon hours and works on his own.  He had to be shown how to use a mouse and a cursor on a computer, a skill I haven't had to work on with anyone for years.  He said education in prison was limited due to lockdowns.

He told me today he is in no hurry to go on with his life because he is adjusting to being out.  At some point he wants to go to college.  I am overwhelmed by the opportunity given to me to work with him.

Miss Mary, you changed my life

How can I despair when I get a phone call like the one I just got?  I am in tears.  It's been a rough day in some respects. Sometimes when that happens, I get a phone call from someone that shows me I need to keep going and can't get discouraged by my own problems or by difficult students or by general malaise in the form of clock-watching.

N couldn't come to class because his wife was ill and he needed to take care of the baby.  He called last night but I never called back because I neglected to pick up voice mail.  He called at MC3 to make sure I got his message and then he just called now to make sure he had the right home number for me.  He said, "Miss Mary, you changed my life."  He said he loves to come to class.  He doesn't need his GED for his own job because it is a good one, but he wants it for himself and for his kids.  He does think about what if his plant closed down and how would he support his wife and four kids?

G also called and had his 5 year old daughter say thank you for the Junie B. Jones book I found for her in the MC3 Pantry box.  Good for him for having her do that!

And then there's B who I suspended today because she used her cell phone several times in spite of warnings.  She called tonight and said she would leave it at home and could I please take her back?  She said she has to get a GED.  I tried to tell her it was going to take a long time.  How can I say I don't think she can do it?  Maybe she could if she learned how to learn.  So tomorrow, she is going to sit by herself so she is not distracted by her classmates.  She is my biggest challenge and has been all year--and she's always there except for that period of incarceration.  I asked her if anyone had ever said she had ADHD? She said her IEP was for being emotionally disturbed.  I really think it is the impulsiveness with the low skills that holds her back.

So my tears have stopped.  It is good to write.  I am thankful for the opportunities that are put before me and pray for the strength to meet the challenges.

Don't despair!

A postscript to the last post:  our morning class had a pretty good sense of those population numbers.  Except for two young'uns, they are mature students.  All of them have decent skills--and most probably have a chance to get a GED.  What a difference in the two classes.

I look at the clock more this year than last.  I wonder why that is.  Last year it never seemed as if there never was enough time to do what I had scheduled.  Of course, we had Parent and Child Together time at the beginning and end of the morning and with a break, there really wasn't that much more academic time available.  This year I especially look at the clock in the afternoon.  The day is longer for me and those afternoon students have so little zeal for learning.

So I will try not to despair about the fact that the lesson I had on equivalents with decimals, fractions, and percents was totally lost in 24 hours with two of the afternoon students.  It was as if we had never done the lesson the day before.  I had pulled out coins both days to "contextualize instruction."   Me:  "B, how would you write nine cents as money?"  Written answer: 9, then .9.  Me:  "How would you write one dollar and nine cents?"  Written answer: $1.09.   Me:  "So there is your answer!"  But I really am not sure that the generalization took place.  We'll see next week on the weekly review quiz!

So let me try to hang on to the positives.  N, in the morning class, has passed three predictor tests and is thrilled.  He is a community builder in class and very supportive to me.  He works 12 hour shifts and is tired when he comes to class.  Yesterday he apologized for taking a few calls from work (in Spanish, I noticed) and had to leave early.  I think he has a position of responsibility at his factory--even without a diploma.

J, in the afternoon class, has very low math skills and language skills, but can read at about a 6th grade level.  She has been very shy and reluctant to participate in any way.  I have tried to encourage her to join in and not be afraid to be wrong.  Her new year's resolution was to develop self-confidence and I already see evidence of that!  So I can seize on the positives and encourage her.  She was eager to share the population of the USA which she found on her cell phone.  She has volunteered to read answers aloud.  And maybe most significantly, she told me that the next time I do a newsletter, she would like to have me take her photo and include it!

Getting D,  in the afternoon class,  to write essays has been torture for me and her.  She wrote one introductory paragraph on new year's resolutions last week. Yesterday I said she had 30 minutes to finish it and I would score whatever she wrote.  She had only one more sentence written in the first seven minutes.  I bit my tongue but did look at the clock and her paper--maybe obviously.  She managed to write three more paragraphs with five minutes to spare.  I asked for a concluding paragraph which she wrote.  Then I asked for proofreading.  She gave her essay a cursory look and made no changes.  I scored her higher than I might have just to be encouraging.  Her essay used the black state-of-being verb "be" instead of "am" or "was".  One of her resolutions was not to leave the house after 11:30 pm because that was when people got killed in the neighborhood.  Another was not to talk to people--which seemed to be code for not getting involved with any boys this year.  The third one was the only positive one--to be nice to others.  The essay was a glimpse into her negative attitude and her world.

The despairing part for me is that three students in the afternoon class are always there but probably will never have the skills to pass the GED exam.  Yet they are determined and say they will if they try hard enough.  In one case, B doesn't know how to try hard enough.  The others mean well, but the ability isn't there.   Sometimes I talk about how hard it is to get a GED and how you need to have at least 9th grade skills and how there are other options, but I don't say to them that it isn't going to happen.  Is that dishonest?  Sometimes I feel it is.

Where do I start? How can you not know that?

I don't say those words aloud to any student, but sometimes I think them!

One of my goals is to work on more real life math skills--contextualized instruction as the jargon has it.    I have several students who cannot do even two digit multiplication without a calculator.  There isn't much point in teaching them to divide fractions or subtract integers, but there are many ways they should be able to use numbers in their lives.

Today I asked the afternoon class to estimate the number of people in South Bend.  Numbers ranged from 100 on each side of town to 5000 in all.  The actual number is about 105,000.  I then asked how many lived in Indiana.  How is it that two of the students guessed 50,000--fewer than the number in South Bend?  What are they thinking?  or not thinking?  One said something about guessing that would include Gary.  Right!  And a whole lot more!

J quickly checked the population of the USA on her cell phone.  She was unable to read the number correctly, but she found the information easily.

B said "Why do we need to learn this stuff?"  She thought there were about 4-500 living in South Bend.  It's a small town and she knew almost everybody, she said.

It is a very limited view of life, a life is limited to the "hood" and to the present time.  And there is very little interest in extending knowledge much farther than that.   That's the story in my afternoon class of 17-20 year olds.  They don't motivate each other and it is pretty hard for me to find a way to do so.

Happy New Year!

I made a few calls on Monday to remind students that we began on Wednesday, but I didn't call all that many of them.  I was counting on their being motivated to come back and if not, we were better off without them.  It was a very disappointing day.  Seven students came out of a potential 24 maybe; only one called to be excused.  I made a few calls today to hear "Oh, did school start today?"  from a couple of them.  Others were not home or didn't answer.

I had worked on all the files on Monday and gone in to prepare for an hour on Tuesday.  I was ready for the new year.  Only seven students were ready.  It is discouraging and yet I have done this long enough to know that this is why these students didn't make a go of it earlier in their lives.  Tomorrow should be better.

B was back and said she wanted to come both morning and afternoon!   I said that wasn't a very good idea because the morning class was full--which it is if folks show up!  I don't think double time in our class is the answer, but maybe another setting would be.  She is looking into Work One where she could get 12 hours a week.  With 5th grade scores and no gains in post-testing so far due to her lack of focus and skills, she has a long way to go to that GED she says she has to have. She said she needed to take the GED exam by January 27 when she goes to court.  At age 17, she cannot do that without passing predictor tests and thus my permission.  To her credit, she worked pretty hard today.