Monday, February 19, 2007

difficulties

As a teacher in a small alternative school, lately I have been struggling to create a curriculum when attendance has been troubling. It has been difficult for me to attempt to teach through a text that takes even a week to read as a class because only a small percentile of my students attend every day.

This difficulty has forced me to make some difficult decision regarding curriculum. I have been forced to do mostly activities that either take only one day or are more independent. This, I have observed, has created a culture in which those students who attend everyday are effected extremely negatively by the poor attendance as it has created, what I would consider to be, a less interesting and less engaging curriculum.

Looking for some good ideas....

1 comment:

MrMr Sam Hill said...

That sounds frustrating. Would it be possible to read one text with the group of students that are usually present, and to have a temporary text for those that are continually absent? I imagine it would be hard to have discussions with both groups at the same time, but maybe the temporary group would answer questions from a handout?