Starting a High School Newspaper

Joining the chorus!!!

You're doin' good things, kiddo!

Aw, you guys are great!

{smooches all around}

The kids have blown off their first major deadline. Not a single one of them did their assignment. This is the second assignment they've ignored.

Today I cornered the Head of School and told him I needed more leverage to get the kids moving. I wanted the authority to give them grades. This is not usually given to "advisors"...only faculty. But he agreed with me and said he would back me up fully with the students...to the point where, if they ask to transfer out, he will not allow it. He started to suggest how I could structure the grading, but I already had it worked up. He looked it over and thought it was right on target.

Soooo....tomorrow I lay down the law.

They have three weeks until the end of the first quarter. I told the Head of School I would give the kids until then to prove to me they would do the work. If they shape up, I'll stay. If not, I go. No point in wasting my time.

We shall see.

Oooh!

Looks like you're handling it well. Hope they shape up!

Somwthing tells me a lot of them might decide to "ship out". Good luck Eva!

Still... you are sooo sharp, Eva!!

The Head of School said he would not allow anyone to "ship out."

The newspaper was THEIR idea, and it's too far into the school year to change. If they complain, he said he would tell them, "It's your own fault for blowing off your assignments. I would have given all of you an 'A' if you'd done what you were supposed to do. But you've forced us to get tough. Now you have to get busy, or you'll have an 'F' on your midterm report card."

Really, we're not leaving them much choice.

But it's not unfair. They couldn't have gotten away with this in any other elective.

So far, they're still in this Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney phase. ("I know! Let's put on a show!") It's past time they snap out of it and get down to work. We can still have a lot of fun, but they need to face facts. Putting out a newspaper does involve a lot of work.

Eva--

The role of Implacable Destiny is difficult, but you seem to be doing well.

"Life is real, life is earnest
And the grave is not the goal...."

Hold your dominion.

Not a single one did their assignment!
It means, simply, that they're not interested, the spoiled bummers.
Keep on doing your best, but give'em a kick in the ass, too. Tell'em it's from me.

Yeh, I second that. Fb supporter here.

Nah, I don't think lack of interest is the real problem here. I think they're just trying to see how little they can get away with. In other words, they're typical 16 year olds.

A kick in the ass, you say? I am sharpening my pointy-toed boots as we speak! I'm thinking of it as a birthday present I'm giving myself. I turn 52 tomorrow. That is waaaaaay too old to put up with slackers.





(If Joe Nation ever finds this thread, he will never let me live this down. I'll be able to hear him laughing all the way from NYC.)

Then lack of interest it is.

Sharpen those boots, girl!

If that's lack of interest, then the only thing they are interested in is girls, sports and computer games. (Not necessarily in that order.)

At any rate, this was their idea. It probably sounded like a lot of fun at first...publication work often does to the uninitiated. Remember? I'm just going to have to make them follow through.

Anybody got a cattle prod I can borrow?

I have a five foot steel pry bar I can Fed Ex you...

Okay, well, they're moving now!!!

All I have to do is get them all moving IN THE SAME DIRECTION!

(This is not unlike herding cats.)

Sounds good. What magic words did you say to them?

Happy birthday, Eva!

Thank you, Walter! (It was the 3rd, but I get my gift on the 13th...a 3-day weekend trip with some old college friends.)

Thomas, I explained how I would be grading them. Full credit ONLY if they finished by deadlines. Apparently, these kids are motivated by grades.

Next step: They still have to gather the rest of the (overdue) materials, put it all together, and have a final proof ready by this coming Wednesday. I've given them all the instructions they need, and they know what to do. I told them today that I'm going to be out of town on Tuesday, but I'll be back on Wednesday when the final proof is due. Soooo...let's see if they pull it together or not. They know that more than half their grade for the quarter depends on it.

Various memories roiling up...

the time I signed up to do research, as an ex lab tech looking into land use, or, hey, typing, and suddenly I was third in line in a big project, and then, and then, no, no, I didn't get to be a director. Turned out to be just as well, those two were crazy.

Well, I've a few friends from that time. All my helpers were smarties...

The project didn't work out well.






smiles.

The kids, shape'em'up... as in near real life.