After my last math unit, which overall...was a disaster... I was excited to be starting integers. Positive and negative numbers are easy to relate to real life - not really tough conceptually.... I thought AHHHH.... well.... until last Thursday when we started it anyway. But the kids ...OK ME! I have to find a way to break them out of their bad habits of not paying attention, not completing homework, not turning in classwork. I can not remember a group EVER who was this difficult to get motivated in these areas.

We had a 3 day weekend with yesterday being President's Day - from Friday they had a really short worksheet on positive & negative - mostly giving the opposite of a number (the opposite of -9 is 9) really tough stuff, and they had time in class to get started. I got maybe 2/3 of the assignments turned in, and of those, at least 1/2 dozen were not completed. 3 days off from school to complete this maybe 10 minute assignment.... part of me says - I give up - no more homework - but then the other part says WAIT JUST A MINUTE!!! It is called RESPONSIBILITY!!

I just do not have the answers, and I am frustrated to the point of tears.... I don't want to fail half my students in math class... but is that what it will take to wake some of them up from their hibernation pattern?

I try to make class interesting and fun... we took a few notes on terms today but I mixed that with a "human timeline" and time at the board to make up Math Mania scores.... a little competition sort of... but still, there were those who were zoned entirely out - the one young man, whose timeline number was 744.... the largest number of them all, who had placed himself in the negative teens instead of at the largest section of timeline... because he "didn't know where to go" !!! GRRRRR............ if you are in 7th grade, and cannot figure out that 744 is LARGER than 0, or 1 or 76, or 100, is there any point in me trying to teach you to add and subtract positive & negative #'s??

And the young lady who has a D in math because as she told Dad... she "doesn't get it" - this child who lives across the road from the school... who could easily come get extra help before or after school.... but has only once... before the last quiz.... during class today, she was busy writing on her paper... doing her homework during class while I was still doing large group instruction.... when I called on her, she rudely commented under her breath, "I know how to do all this!" GRRRR........

and the ones who are absent so often....
and the ones who were horrid for my sub on Friday....
and those who think school is only for socializing...
and those that I love....
and those that are sad....
and those that try so hard....
and those that have grown so much...
and those who have learned to accept responsibility for their actions....
and those who don't have anyone who loves them at home....
and those with abusive parents...
and those in foster care...
and those who come in the morning with a hug and a "GOOD MORNING MRS. GEORGE!!!" and a smile.....

FOR THEM ALL.... tomorrow is another day... and I shall perservere... and find a way... to reach them and teach them.....