This is a guest post excerpt from Energy Convertors. To read the entire post, please click here.
By: Haley Rocha, EC Oakland Fellow-Cohort 6
“What are the procedures in place to support a failing student?” is a question I have had to ask my teachers this year.
You might be surprised that this question has stumped them so much that one of them even pulled up a tier list of interventions for behavior issues. Yet none could really provide me with a satisfactory answer. It seems like the most common way a failing student is “helped” is to emphasize “In Danger Of Failing” on their report card, in hopes that their parents will see it and make sure the student gets back on track. But, what about the students who aren’t privileged to have supportive parents? a When a child fails in school, teachers and school administrators should share some of that responsibility with the parents as well.
As children of divorced parents, my siblings and I can struggle with motivating ourselves to do well in school. My brother is failing out of his freshman year of high school.I know if we still lived with my dad, he would have the motivation to keep his grades up. When my brother failed his first semester, none of his teachers or his counselor reached out with concern. It is important to note that it is not the school’s fault our family is experiencing unfortunate circumstances. However, the issue is how are schools going to support students through hardships so that we can continue to succeed?
The most logical way that I see is to incentivize support. There are many instances I can think of in my education in which incentivizing support has worked. For example, my chemistry teacher offers extra credit points for students who come to mandatory tutoring. This helps students feel more motivated to get help, because they see immediate results in their grade.