Grades and another end to the quarter

I always hated report card day, even through college. I was one of the "unlucky" ones who had parents who cared about my grades, even when I was too old for them to be caring. There was no such thing as being 18 and an adult in my house. If I lived under my parents' roof, even for only a couple months out of the year, they demanded to see my grades. In fact, it got to the point that my Dad would see my grades before I did because EIU mailed grades to my house, my Dad got the mail, so he looked.

I was not a horrible student by any means, but I did not work up to my potential. Throughout high school, I skimmed by with B's and C's when I should have gotten all A's. College, I did a bit better, but I am not proud of that record either. It was not until I was working towards my Masters Degree that I realized I had really let myself down. While working on my Masters, a B was my lowest grade, and I walked away from that program with an A average.

It is because of my experiences that I push you, my students, so hard. My Dad always told me that someday I would look back with regret on my high school years if I did not "shape up," and I hate to admit it, but he was right. If I can change even one student's outlook on how they view high school, then I have succeeded in undoing what I did, academically, in my past. I could have, and should have, done much better in high school and taken it more seriously. If I had, I might not still be making payments on a school loan. Believe me, I understand how tempting it is not to do that homework assignment and wing it in class. I also remember how it felt not be prepared in class that next day, and I hated that feeling. So, I now feel it my role to push my students harder than I pushed myself because I know that all of you are capable of more than you show.

What you do now will have everlasting effects. For me, I am still paying on a college loan because I did not get scholarships, partly because I didn't fill any out, but that is another post, but bigger than that, I feel, I now look back and know I could have done better. Because of my experiences, I will not tolerate the same out of my own children, and while they may not like me for it when they get to that age, I will expect that they work to their potential and if they are truly C students then I will be happy with C's. If they are A students and get C's they will have to work harder and push themselves.

Don't look back on your high school experience with regret. Do what you know you can, take advantage of what PCHS offers, get involved, and look back knowing that you did everything you could to be successful.

3rd week

It amazes me that we are preparing to start the third week of school already. Where has that time gone? As we were going over homework last Friday, it struck me that even though it was only the third full day of school for students, we had already stared back into a routine, and it seemed like we had never left for the summer. I am so encouraged so far by how eager you all seem to be to learn. Those of you in A.P. have already shown dedication through your discussions and willingness to lead the class rather than be lead by me. You sophomores are taking rather dry material, the Parts of Speech, and making class engaging by answering questions and asking them as well. It is my goal to show you just how important this information is, even if it doesn't seem like it now. I know that by the time we are finished with this information, you will have the tools you need to construct structurally sound sentences. Please continue to ask questions and challenge ideas you do not understand.

I hope that the momentum of the first two weeks of school continues. I know the "new" will wear off, and we will get further into our routines. Please keep wanting to learn and keep the enthusiam levels up so that class doesn't become a chore.