Student Stories......Hey Slugger
So, I am back. Because I want to get a few things off my chest.
Truancy is a common problem among high school students. I thought it was an issue for students who "didn't" like school or who were not achieving high enough grades. But lately, I have realized that regardless of grade level, students will "not be feeling" school.
I have a D-1 baseball athlete that has a fractured hand. He still pitches, because it's his opposite hand, he still clocks in the low to mid 90s with his fastball, but he only finds his way to my class 3 times a week,(about 50-60%) on average. I have yet to have him come to class M-Fri for a week straight. But, he will play in all 30+ games that he has this year. He is the ACE of SHS.
More like a JOKER.
His coach knows about his tardies and excessive absences, but when you have a powerhouse baseball team that is a potential contender year in, and year out, GRAY AREAS become large. And as OBVIOUS as our GRAY are, the might as well be BLACK HOLES, because who really knows......
Here's the kicker. He needs my Algebra II class to graduate. He needs to pass his English 4 class to graduate. I wonder how many D-1 scholarships will be on the table if he doesn't receive his diploma. That, my friends, is a very big question. I really hopes he graduates. Baseball is a business. They don't have to pay you top-dollar, regardless of your talent level. He talks of being drafted, and he is a prospect for AA or AAA baseball. Teachers keep stressing his need to focus on school.
My question I pose right now with a little more than 2 months of school left, is "What will his parents say?" (if he doesn't complete his coursework) They know. They have access to his grades. They should be accountable right??? In the end, it'll be put in my lap.
Maybe I will bring in all of my students and they can personally recall every warning he had from myself, and my peers, that walk into my class to PERSONALLY make sure he is in class, paying attention, and doing his work. I have some of his teammates in my other classes.... and they roll their eyes.
Folks..... I don't know if education has failed, or if the student is failing education. I will say this...
The boy's fastball is
MEAN. The boy's hook is
WICKED. What happens if we turn off the stadium lights??
